Gregor and the Sword of Shadow
by Ares Is Awesome
Summary: Gregor returns to the Underland from Virginia after four years to discover a new prophecy fall upon the Underlanders. There are rebellions forming, an ancient sword that induces a nightmarish coma, and the land finds itself on the brink of war once again.
1. Chapter 1

**PART I **

THE RETURN

* * *

_The huge black bat suddenly banked left, to hook around the rock formation, but Gregor managed to hold on. They were nearing the canyon-and the rats. Gregor drew Sandwich's sword in preparation. He could see them now, not with his eyes, it was much too dark for that, but with his ears. The echoes of his and the flier's breathing sang pictures into his head of the massive army. At their head was a great white rat with a small human crown dangling off of one ear. The Bane. _

_This isn't what worried Gregor the most, though, and neither was the huge army behind him. What worried him was the figure, who was slightly smudged in Gregor's head, yet unmistakably Henry. _

_The rats laughed as the Bane jumped up and caught __the bat's wing with his claw, which threw Gregor off and into the gorge. Before he hit the ground, which his echoes told him was rather far away, he heard an intense battle scene which lasted for no more that a few seconds._

_The Bane pulled the bat in, locking its massive incisors around the black bats head. Henry pulled out his sword and drove it into the massive white rat, screaming, "Ares!" while the Bane smacked Henry across the back with his tail, knocking his lower ribs in a few inches too far. _

_The ground loomed closer, Gregor could tell even without echolocation. The last thing he saw before impact was Photos Glow-Glow's bright blue light, saying in Ripred's voice,"What's your plan?" Then there was__ nothing._

Gregor was jolted awake when he hit the floor of his bedroom on their farm in Virginia. He sat up, rubbing his eyes. He had never really gotten adjusted to waking up on the floor because of his nightmares, despite the fact that the floor was where he'd wake up six days of the week. It still felt like it was last week that he'd been fighting the Gnawers with Ares, that he'd slain the Bane, that Ares was killed, that peace was made.

It seemed like just last week he'd said good bye to the place that had consumed his life for a year, but, it seemed as though it would follow him forever. He fingered the five scars on his chest. As he'd predicted, they had gone nowhere, even after four years. Shutting his eyes, he still saw every detail of that moment. It played in his head like a mix between an annoying song and a horror movie.

"_Get out of there, Ares!" Wing snagged. Pulled in. Teeth on neck. Sword through heart. Claws on chest. "Ares the filer, I bond to you." Pure blue light…_

Gregor forced himself to open his eyes. He had seen it, heard it, relived it enough in the past four years. He stretched, put on a shirt, and headed to the kitchen for breakfast. At least there was no school, since it was winter break.

"Good morning, Gregor!" Boots called from the table. She hadn't asked to see Temp in almost a year, but Gregor could tell she still wondered about him, though thankfully she hadn't spoken Crawler in two years, which had resulted in a phone call home from her kindergarten teacher, who was utterly confused when Boots had half the class clicking at each other. Gregor smiled, but his thoughts quickly shifted elsewhere.

_I have my license now, why don't I just take a road trip?_

_Ask first_, a voice in his head pleaded, _they might understand._

_No, they would just take my driver's license._

The argument Gregor was having with himself kept up for several minutes, broken when Lizzie sleepily drifted into the kitchen for some toast.

"I miss Ripred," she said suddenly. This was the first time the Underland was brought up openly in four months, since Gregor had woke up one morning asking who took his sword.

Their parents stared for a few seconds before dismissing the comment.

"I miss him, too," Gregor told her. "I miss everyone."

Lizzie nodded. She was twelve now, the same age Gregor was when he'd killed the Bane. Older than he was when he'd found out he was a rager, and way smarter. After all, she was barely older than Boots is now when she'd broken the Code of Claw.

"Mom, Dad, I want to go back," Gregor announced, "At least for a visit."

Gregor's mom's initial reaction was shock, followed by a large amount of refusal and rage.

"Absolutely not! Do you think I'm just going to let you go and drive back to New York by yourself, just to climb down an air vent and…and start another war or get kidnapped by bugs? That's completely absurd! No, Gregor, absolutely not!"

"But Mom-"

"I will not let you go! That's final!"

"Listen-"

"No, Gregor. No."

"JUST LISTEN TO ME!" Gregor didn't want to have to shout, but he saw no other choice. "I won't be starting another war, it's peaceful there now, and the crawlers only took Boots to protect her that one time. Besides, I won't be alone, I'll take Lizzie with me."

"NO!" Gregor's mom had completely lost it when he mentioned Lizzie. "ABSOLUTELY NOT! YOU WILL NOT JUST TAKE HER ALL THE WAY TO NEW YORK!"

"But Mom-" This time Lizzie spoke.

"NO! THAT IS FINAL!"

_Told you not to ask, _a voice inside Gregor smirked.

_Shut up, _His other head-voice replied.

**Disclamer: I do not own the Underland Chronicles (I wish I did), though I do own the characters that I made up. Also please review. I'd like to know how I can make this better.**


	2. Chapter 2

Gregor silently slid out of bed at two that morning. He had not been able to sleep all night, as he was anxious to start heading for the city. He knew that his parents would be angry at him for sneaking away, and Lizzie would be jealous.

He quietly opened his door, tip-toed through the kitchen, clutched his keys in his fist to prevent jingling, and was nearing out the door when, as if from nowhere, Lizzie popped up to block his way out.

"I'm going with you," she whispered.

"No, Liz, mom would freak."

"Like mom wouldn't freak anyway when you aren't there. I'm coming with you."

"No, Lizzie, you know it's not going to be as bad."

"Give me one good reason why I can't go and you can" They were practically whisper-shouting now.

"Two words: Driver's license."

"I have more legitimate reasons why you should take me with you. One: I want to see everyone again. Two: I can wake mom and dad up now if I want. Three: You-"

Gregor cut her off. "Fine Liz, you can come. But when we get back, you have to explain that you _forced _me to bring you. Sign the note here, under my name." He held up a note for his parents to leave on the counter. Lizzie took it and signed it, and they headed out the door.

Gregor's car was not exactly in prime condition. It was a piece of junk, pretty much, an '81 Honda; olive green paint chipping. It was not too quiet, either, and sometimes it didn't start up right off. But they were lucky tonight, as it seemed to sense their urgency. They were on the freeway in no time.

It was ten in the morning when they arrived at their old apartment building. Gregor parked his car across the street, and gently shook Lizzie.

"We're here, Liz."


	3. Chapter 3

They walked into the building, and out of habit, Lizzie started heading up the stairs.

"Um…Lizzie?"

"Right," Lizzie grinned sheepishly and followed Gregor to the laundry room.

Gregor sighed, anxious butterflies in his stomach. Heck, his butterflies had butterflies. Then a thought struck him. How would they get down there if the currents weren't right?

He didn't have to worry, though. He was surprised to find Nerissa with a massive slivery bat with three vertical black stripes, one on each wing, and one right down the center. The flier had perfect symmetry.

"Greetings, Overlanders."

"Nerissa! How'd you…oh, wait, I bet you saw us here, now," Lizzie was ecstatic already, and it showed in her voice.

Gregor just grinned.

"It's great to see you again, Nerissa, really! How's everybody?"

Nerissa flashed a quick smile. "Come, see for yourselves. Oh, this is my friend, by the way."

"Greetings," said the flier," I am he called Ergane. I have heard much of you from my sister."

"Your sister?" Gregor asked.

"Nike," Ergane purred.

"I didn't know Nike had a brother," Gregor told him.

"Brothers," the flier corrected, "But I am not surprised. We fliers do not often talk of our families."

"Now that you mention it, though, I do see the resemblance."

Lizzie poked Gregor shyly. "Can we get going?" she whispered urgently into his ear.

"Ah, yes, forgive us," Ergane had obviously picked up on what she was saying. "Climb on."

And with that, Gregor began his excited descent into his home away from home, the one place he truly felt he fit in.

The currents were not in full effect that day; in fact, they were barely even there. It was a good thing Nerissa showed up with Ergane. The flight down seemed to take longer than the 8 hour car ride.

Suddenly, the tunnel ended, but instead of opening his eyes wide, like Lizzie, he shut his tight to view the city with his ears. It was spectacular, being able to echolocate again. Gregor hadn't used echolocation since they'd moved to Virginia; there was no point. But here, it was like walking into the light after being in a cave for four years. Except it was really the opposite.

Gregor's mental picture was getting by the second; he could even see fliers around Regalia. He focused on one in particular that reminded him of Ares going in for a landing in the arena. _Ares._ Tears welled up in his eyes as the same movie played in his head, the one of his bond's final moments.

"_Get out of there, Ares!" Wing snagged. __Pulled in.__Teeth on neck.__Sword through heart.__Claws on chest.__ "Ares the filer, I bond to you." Pure blue light…_

He blinked away the tears. They had neared the city greatly in the time he was preoccupied with the scene of Ares and the Bane dying.

"Here we are," Ergane told them.


	4. Chapter 4

"Ah, here is my sister and her bond," Ergane nodded his head toward a landing Human/Flier pair.

"Greetings, Ergane," A familiar black and white striped bat was just landing in the high hall, with an equally familiar rider.

"Hey, Nike! Hey Howard!" Gregor called from Ergane's back.

Gregor laughed as Howard tripped dismounting Nike, who performed a less-than-graceful landing herself.

"Overlander? Are you here, or did I eat some bad mushrooms?" Howard joked.

"I don't know man, could be the mushrooms," Gregor teased back.

"And is this Lizzie? My, how you've grown."

Lizzie smiled, but seemed to be at a loss for words. She hadn't had a panic attack since coming back from the Underland, though Gregor was unsure whether seeing everyone again would set one off.

"It's so good to see everyone. But honestly, I haven't seen anyone familiar except for you three," He said, pointing at Howard, Nike, and Nerissa. "How is everybody?"

"That is a vague question, Gregor. Why don't you talk to everyone, over dinner? I will send for Vikus, Luxa, Aurora, Temp, Hazard, Mareth…," Howard at this point began mumbling to himself. He rallied off more names and ended with "…and Ripred, too, of course. I will make the preparations. In the meantime, I would think it best for you two to stay unseen, keep it a surprise until dinner tonight."

"How can we do that?" Lizzie inquired.

"Ergane, would you mind finding somewhere for them to hide while I make the preparations?" Howard requested.

"Of course not."

"Great. Maybe at the fount colony of nibblers? I am not sure, so wherever you think is a good place…" Howard's voice trailed off; he was obviously thinking aloud.

"I will find somewhere, if not just a flying tour of… the waterway or somewhere," Ergane told him.

"I have an idea," Lizzie put in. "How about we hide in the museum for the day, then you can come get us when it's time for dinner. That way, nobody with a sharp enough nose would detect our Overland smell."

"That is a great idea, Lizzie! Yes, I will send for you when it is dinner," Howard told them.

Gregor had been very used to being in the museum in the palace. It was the place that reminded him most of home. The museum was filled with all sorts of things that had fallen from the Overland. Hardhats from construction workers, Handbags, backpacks, and all sorts of miscellaneous things that would seem disposable to any Overlander, such as pencils, money, and even an old shoe all sat next to each other on a single table. There were some things that seemed completely random sitting next to each other; there was a stuffed penguin next to a dictionary, next to a tennis ball.

Lizzie picked up a copy of the book _Silverwing_by Kenneth Oppal, and sat down to read in a corner to pass the time. Gregor looked through all the Overland stuff, trying to keep occupied and get the anxious butterflies out of his stomach. Nothing helped too much, but at least it was something to do. He gazed at the assortment of things, wondering how each had ended up here.

_A violin case,_ he thought. _Probably a performer in central park's._

Gregor found a stack of familiar photos; on top was a picture of Three-year-old Boots in her princess costume feeding Temp some cake. He smiled, and began flipping through them, until he came across the ones of him and Luxa. These were the pictures they had taken during the war, right here at this spot. This was the day after he had overheard Ripred snuggled up with Lizzie, talking about Ripred's family at the Garden of Hesperides, telling about how his family drowned without even a chance to say goodbye. The Scarred rat had been king enough to give that to them, a half hour. And this is where they spent it, before he went off to battle. Geez, he remembered all the details like it was yesterday!

He kept flipping through the stack of photos to find a loose paper at the bottom of the stack. It was a note in an unfamiliar handwriting. He decided to read through it. It appeared to be some kind of request addressed to Sandwich, yet it was written on Overland paper with an Overland pen. Green, it looked like.

_Bartholomew of Sandwich_

_If I never see him again, at least let him not forget__ of__ me, as I will not do to him._

It was very vague and unsigned, though Gregor had a feeling that this was not from the Overland at all. He had a very good idea of who wrote this, based on its location, and a bit of background knowledge.

He really wanted to see Luxa again, and though he knew he would soon he could not help himself from wanting to see her _now_. He remembered meeting her for the first time in the arena with Boots, now that was nothing he'd ever forget.

_"You can have the ball, but to get it you must be stronger or smarter than I," Luxa had told Boots._

_"Pu-ple!" Boots poking her in the eye, causing her to release the ball in surprise. That was good._

_"I guess she's smarter," Gregor had told her._

_"But not you, or you would not dare say such things to a queen."_

Gregor smiled, remembering his first trip down here. But the memories got painful as Ares was brought up. He squeezed his eyes tight, as if to shut out the scene that always played in his head.

_Too close to the Bane. "Get out of there, Ares!" Wing snagged. Pulled in. Teeth on neck. Sword through heart. Claws on chest. "Don't go, Ares, okay? Don't." Claw in hand. Loosing blood. Pure blue light__…_

He must have fallen asleep, and slept peacefully at that, because next thing he knew, Lizzie was prodding him awake.

"Gregor? It's time for dinner."

Gregor's stomach did leaps and bounds as he followed the messenger Howard had sent for them toward his friends.


	5. Chapter 5

The walk to the High Hall where they would be dining never seemed so long. Gregor bit his nails the whole time, which was unusual seeing as he hadn't bitten his nails since he was five. Lizzie seemed just as excited.

Upon entering the hall, Gregor saw dozens of familiar faces along with a few new ones. He immediately was able to pick out Ripred from the crowd, despite the fact that his face was in a bowl of shrimp in cream sauce, which could have, in fact, been the defining characteristic. He saw Hazard at a glance next, who was now almost six feet tall, even though he was only eleven. Howard stood up and called for silence.

"This meal was to be for Ripred's birthday, since we don't actually know when it is, and he refuses to tell us. So, upon a suggestion from someone who thought that it would be okay to celebrate his birthday even if we are unsure of the exact date-"

"I am not surprised you suggested a party for yourself, Ripred," a voice cut in. Gregor recognized it as Luxa's.

"Hey, I didn't, not this time!" Ripred defended himself. The rat sniffed, then smiled.

"No, he didn't," Howard vouched for the scarred rat. He jerked his head, signaling for Gregor and Lizzie to make an entrance. "Lizzie did."

At first, there was no audible response coming from the members attending the dinner, only stunned silence. Then Ripred spoke, walking up next to Lizzie.

"Thank you, for the party, Lizzie," He said, nuzzling her with his snout.

Ripred being nice and showing affection towards someone other than himself prolonged the stillness.

"Good to be back," Gregor said awkwardly. "I missed everyone so bad."

"You were missed, as well," Luxa responded formally.

"I have so much to get caught up on, and a little bit to tell," he told them.

"You go ahead and speak first, Overlander," Gregor hadn't noticed that Vikus was there until he spoke; he hadn't seen him here before.

Gregor nodded, then quickly summed up the last four years.

"We moved to Virginia, which was torture for me. Almost every morning I'd wake up out of a nightmare on the floor of my room. During the day, I hardly focused on what I was doing, as my thoughts remained here. All except for one master plan, that is. I decided that I would drive back up to New York and visit here. So I slipped out of bed in the middle of the night to drive here without my parents noticing I was gone until it was too late to stop me. Lizzie caught me, and threatened to wake them up if I didn't bring her with. I drove for eight straight hours, and we got here. Nerissa knew we'd be here, and picked us up with Ergane, and we ran in to Howard and Nike, who planned this whole thing."

"Nightmares? What of?" Vikus asked.

"It's always different. In the most recent one, I am flying on Ares. We near the Bane and the rat army, and the Bane is wearing the crown King Gorger did when we met him. Henry was standing next to him. The Bane grabbed Ares's wing, which threw me off of him and into a gorge. Henry then stabbed the bane screaming, 'Ares!' like when he was falling to his death. Then, it was just Photos-Glow-Glow's blue light and Ripred's voice saying, 'What's your plan?'. Then I woke up on the floor of my room."

"I, for one, am flattered that my voice is in your nightmares," Ripred said sarcastically.

Gregor dismissed the comment. "How are things here?"

"For the most part, well, but-" Luxa had started to say, when a cut up flier erratically made a crash-landing in the hall.

"It is Hermes! What is the matter?" Howard dashed over to the bat.

"The Prophecy of Shadow is upon us," the bat croaked, before falling unconscious.

Someone must have ran to alert the hospital, because within minutes a small team of doctors with a pallet came up to the hall and brought Hermes away.

"What is the Prophecy of Shadow?" Gregor asked Nerissa, who's pale skin had become paler.

"Come, I will show you."


	6. Chapter 6

Gregor followed Nerissa to the prophecy room, though he could have found the way himself. Even after four years, you can't forget the room where your death was foretold, or where you spent several days hiding when rats invaded the palace.

The hole that Gregor had made with his sword that time was still in the door. Of course, there would be no wood to replace it here. No trees had grown here since the Garden of Hesperides was flooded by Hamnet.

"It is on the far wall," Luxa said from behind them. Gregor turned to see that they were followed by Luxa, Vikus, Ripred, and Lizzie, who was on the rat's back.

Nerissa read the prophecy aloud.

"_'Brother fight brother,_

_And bond brother fight._

_Brother and bond_

_Try to drain brother's light._

_Brother fights back,_

_As he's in the right._

_-_

_The crucial peace that held so strong,_

_Is challenged by gnawers that think it wrong_

_Challenged by humans from lands far and wide,_

_And traitors from both sides collide._

_-_

_A blade forged of sorrow, hatred, and fears,_

_Thought to be gone over many years._

_A bite from this blade will cause fitful sleep,_

_And those cut by it are like dead for the Reap'._

_-_

_The crucial peace that held so well,_

_Is challenged by gnawers that think it a hell._

_Challenged by humans from lands near and far,_

_And the traitors from both sides shall not spar._

_-_

_Rager on rager, __Whose blood both runs hot._

_Rager fight rager, __And rager rager fought._

_One emerges victorious, __One drained of light._

_The first time in ages, __Since a rager-rager fight._

_-_

_The crucial peace that held its fill,_

_Is challenged by gnawers that want to kill._

_Challenged by humans from lands now of lies,_

_And traitors from both sides have become allies._

_-_

_Underlanders, this you must heed._

_The rebellions are fueled by hatred and greed._

_If not they are completely destroyed,_

_Reasons to be here would become void.'"_

"That's a bit confusing." Gregor read it again to himself.

"So the first verse is about Hermes being attacked?" he asked.

"Yes, this is what we believe. Although, we cannot be sure until he awakens," Vikus explained.

"The fourth verse is troubling, as we know of only two ragers, and both of them happen to be in this room," Luxa noted.

"The whole thing is troubling," Vikus rubbed his temples. "I wish to look at this more closely. Nerissa, would you make me a copy?"

"Of course." Nerissa strode out of the room to grab a scroll, quill, and ink.

"Can we finish eating now? I didn't get to finish my shrimp in cream sauce," Ripred complained.

"Yes, I am sure the Overlanders have not eaten yet." Why was Luxa avoiding his eyes, and referring to him as the Overlander? What had he done now?

They followed the scarred rat back to the feast, though nobody really seemed hungry. An irritating silence hung over the table.

Gregor was relieved when Vikus had sent for him to look over the prophecy. Nobody had really said anything since Hermes crash-landed in the High Hall. Since Gregor finished eating fifteen minutes ago, he just sat there awkwardly. But now he had something to do. He'd always liked interpreting the prophecies with Vikus, he was open-minded and wise.

Gregor was lead to a private-looking study, which he took to be Vikus's office. A smooth stone desk piled high with scrolls and charts sat in the middle of the circular room, while bookcases lined the towering walls. Three torches in brackets illuminated the room. Vikus sat in a small chair at the desk, and motioned for Gregor to sit next to him.

"Have you any thought on the prophecy?" the older man asked.

"Can we break it down?" Gregor requested.

" Of course. The first verse

' _Brother fight brother,_

_And bond brother fight._

_Brother and bond_

_Try to drain brother's light._

_Brother fights back,_

_As he's in the right.'_

What does this mean to you?" Vikus's eyes shimmered in the torchlight. Gregor noticed that although he was old and had suffered much, his eyes remained a clear and bright violet, deep and worldly.

"This is referring to Hermes's attack, right? So 'Brother fight brother' would be Hermes getting attacked by his brother? Or do you think this refers to another flier, a brother of species?"

"Hermes has no brothers, so it must mean the latter."

"'And bond brother fight'," Gregor thought aloud, "Hermes attacked by a bonded bat and its bond. 'Brother and bond try to drain brother's light'. They tried to kill him. 'Brother fights back as he's in the right' could be that Hermes fought back, since he was attacked first. What do you take it to mean?"

"That exactly. How about the next non-repeating verse?

_'A blade forged of sorrow, hatred, and fears,_

_Thought to be gone over many years._

_A bite from this blade will cause fitful sleep,_

_And those cut by it are like dead for the Reap'._'"

Gregor thought for a minute before asking, " Is there an ancient sword that causes nightmares?"

Vikus slowly nodded. "Yes, there was once, but it has been lost for centuries. It is called 'The Sword of Shadow', as it creates a depressing, ominous gloom for whoever is cut by it. There have been very few people known to awaken from the fitful sleep it causes, and even fewer remain sane. I have some tales on it you may borrow to read, if you remind me after we finish."

"Thank you. How does the next verse go?"

"Rager on rager,

Whose blood both runs hot.

Rager fight rager,

And rager rager fought.

One emerges victorious,

One drained of light.

The first time in ages,

Since a rager-rager fight."

Gregor hoped that this wasn't saying that he'd have to fight Ripred. He knew that he'd end up the 'One drained of light' it that was the case. Besides, he liked the rat. How depressing is it thinking that one of your friends is going to duel you to the death soon?

"I hope that the two ragers aren't me and Ripred. I'd prefer that I were to fight a complete stranger rager that him. Or for Ripred to fight them. But I think that this stanza is not too complex."

"I concur, I'd much rather fight a stranger than a friend, even if you know the friend's fighting style better," Vikus agreed, nodding. "The last non-repeating verse is a warning to us, do you take it as this?"

"Yes. It the rebellion is triumphant, there are no reasons to stay here."

"The repeating stanza is along the same lines each time. Let us look at the last one, shall we?

'_The crucial peace that held its fill,_

_Is challenged by gnawers that want to kill._

_Challenged by humans from lands now of lies,_

_And traitors from both sides have become allies._'

What make you of this?"

"I'm not positive, but is it the peace since the war has held, but some gnawers and humans don't like it, so they will rebel and ally themselves?" asked Gregor.

"I do believe so," Vikus verified. "Oh, here are some tales of the Sword of Shadow." He pulled a dusty scroll off of a shelf and handed it to Gregor. "Good night, Warrior."

Lying in the bedroom the Underlanders let them use, Gregor began the tales, which were written in Old English

_'The sword hath been forged by the masterful blacksmith __Regure__ and the poison concocted by the herblorist, Kiele. The blade beith an unholy black color, shimmering slightly as doeth pearls. It is to be wielded by King Gerrog the mighty-_

Gregor skipped ahead a bit.

_-Gerrog killed in battle by his brethren of blood, Perdir for the sword. Perdir hath fled, though had clamith that thine king hath becomith power mad-'_

_He was soaring on Ares over the Queen, the massive volcano in the Firelands that had claimed the life of sweet little Thalia on their trip there. The pit in which the Nibblers had been suffocated in by the Bane was filled in completely with shiny obsidian, but you could tell where it had been if you knew where it was._

_Suddenly, the Queen heaved and began to spew lava. He glanced back at the volcano, only to see the Bane to take shape out of the molten lava. The rat reached out at them, grabbing the unfortunate flier's wing. Ares gave a yelp of pain as he was dragged backwards by the fire figure. He stabbed at the Bane with his sword, but gave a cry of dismay as it was turned to liquid in the monster's chest._

_Crack! The Bane lashed out at the pair with a molten tail, catching him across the face. It burned, oh man how it burned! The monster pulled the duo in farther before swallowing them. His body was incinerated in the Bane's stomach._

Gregor woke up hot and sweaty from his nightmare, panting. He could still feel the fiery sting of the Bane's tale across his face. Regaining composure, he picked up the scroll on the Sword of Shadow and read some more. The whole thing was as exciting as the beginning.


	7. Chapter 7

Stretching, Gregor got out of bed. At least he hadn't woken up in the floor this morning from his dream. He figured that the cold stone would hurt a lot more than the carpet in his room. Were the nightmares ever going to stop? No, he figured, remembering what Mrs. Cormaci had told him.

_You know, Mr. Cormaci fought in a war. He didn't want to talk about it, either. I knew there'd been some terrible things, though. That man had bad dreams until the day he died."_

_Great_, thought Gregor. _I'll never have a peaceful night sleep as long as I live._

He got dressed in the Underlander clothes that had been laid out for him, then headed to get some breakfast. He put his mind on autopilot to find where he would eat, as his eyes did not remember the route still, though his feet did. Half-closing his eyes, he shuffled along the torch-lit hallway.

What happened next, he didn't know, but he felt a pair of arms grab him and pull him into a room. He was lead down a few other hallways, though he didn't see them to recognize them, as the pair of hands covered his eyes. However, whoever was leading him must not have known, or must not have remembered, that he could echolocate. Gregor clicked his tongue, and the room appeared as a silvery image in his head. It wasn't much longer until the end corridor, maybe a four second walk. He focused on the echoes behind him, and immediately recognized his captor by the thin gold band encircling her head.

"Why have you brought me here, Luxa?"

"I needed to talk to you." She released her hold on him, and turned him around to face her.

After a brief silence, Luxa spoke up. "I missed you so much."

"I did, too. Every day, I couldn't concentrate on what I was doing because I was wondering what was happening here. I'm so tied to this place, I can't function back in the Overland. I just want to be here. It's the only place I feel I somewhat fit in to."

They moved closer together, Gregor wrapping his arms around her. They stayed like that for who knows how long, with Luxa resting her head on his shoulder.

"I don't ever want to go back," he said softly. "Not ever."

They started to kiss. Who knows how long they would have stayed there if Ripred hadn't walked in.

"I thought I smelled you in here. Between your Overlander smell and all the love scent you two are giving off, you couldn't hide from me in a bowl of shrimp and cream sauce. Vikus wished to see you two, he is in the hospital with the flier who landed in the hall during dinner last night. The flier has awoken." Gregor wanted to throw something at the rat, and Ripred must have sensed this, too, because the sarcastic rat bolted out of the room before Gregor could find something to throw.

Luxa lead Gregor to the hospital where they found Vikus conversing with the bandaged bat.

"So then you were attacked? By a bat and a human?" Vikus inquired.

"Yes," The bat spoke in a hoarse whisper. "Just like in the prophecy."

"This was near the Fount?" Gregor asked, jumping in to the conversation immediately.

Hermes nodded.

Gregor opened his mouth to ask another question, but a nurse arrived to shoo them away before he could get it out.

"The events Hermes described, they resemble the ones in the prophecy?" Luxa asked Vikus.

The old man nodded. "It seems as though we will be on the brink of war once again. I think it pointless. One can no more win a war than one can win a flood," he said sadly.

"It seems as though we should go to try and find the rebellion's headquarters," Luxa suggested. "I know I have very little say on this, at least for the next two weeks until my sixteenth birthday, but I would definitely go and attempt to locate them."

Vikus nodded again. "You wish to go personally?"

"Yes."

Vikus lowered his voice. "Go. Assemble a small party to locate their lair. Leave soon, before the counsel realizes your plans."

Luxa nodded quickly before leading Gregor away.

Quietly, she told him, "We shall bring Howard, Ergane, Nike, and Aurora, do you think? I will send for Howard and Ergane. Meet us at the Spout in twenty minutes."

The Spout was a network of tunnels and crevices starting from under the palace. The entryway to it was through the shell of an evil turtle statue in an old nursery. Luxa's traitor cousin Henry had discovered the switch that allowed the shell to lift, which revealed the secret stairway to the Spout.

Gregor went to see his little sister before heading out for however many days. He felt bad about leaving her here, though he knew she would be okay.

"Sorry I have to leave you, Liz," he apologized.

"I'll be okay, Gregor. There is so much to do here! I'm going to read those Tales of the Sword of Shadow that Nerissa mentioned to me, to see if I can find anything out about the prophecy. Bye!" Lizzie hugged him, before walking off to read the ancient text.

Gregor's mental clock told him to start heading for the old nursery that held the malicious looking turtle. He headed for the nursery, though was unsure of its exact location. He did the same thing as before, half-closing his eyes and letting his feet do the navigation.

When he arrived at the nursery, he found the turtle's shell open. Putting his head down the dark hole, Gregor clicked several times to make sure it was all right. He heard the echoes return in the shapes of two humans and three fliers. He hurried down the stairs.

"Shall we go, then?" asked Howard, who began mounting Nike.

"As soon as possible," Luxa said, nodding.

With that, the six headed for the rebellion that needed to be brought down.


	8. Chapter 8

The flight to the Fount started in silence. The bats kept a low profile for awhile, as to not be seen by any guards from the city. Gregor found himself oddly tired, even though he had just woken up.

"You may sleep, Overlander," Ergane told him, as if sensing his thoughts. "You will be thankful for the rest later. It is a long flight to the Fount."

Gregor thanked him gratefully before drifting off to sleep.

_The Bane had been speaking to the scores of Gnawers that surrounded him with the same persuasion as Gregor had heard Twirltongue use before. It made his oration believable, even to one who would know, one who had experienced how malevolent, how twisted, how _evil_ the white rat truly was. _

_"Tell me, if you can, why the Overlander was sent to kill me as a pup? Why was he sent to find a cure to the plague, why was he sent in time and time again to do something anyone could be sent to do? I'll tell you why. The humans sent him. _

_"They sent their little pet warrior to go do their dirty work. They spend their whole lives bossing others around while they get fat and lazy, while they starve us out. They unleashed the plague on our pups, our mates, while they sat back in their city, like nothing was happening. What do I say? I say the humans need a bit of exercise. We should fight them now, while they are weak and unprepared. What say you?" _

_The majority of the gnawers cried, "Yes!"_

_"I said WHAT SAY YOU?" the mass of white fur bellowed._

_The crowd of Gnawers roared in agreement._

_Suddenly, the Bane paused and stiffened, smelling the air._

_"It seems our little warrior has joined us," he said quietly._

_A massive uproar swept the area, as the gnawers fell into a frenzy to capture Gregor, plus Ares, whom he was riding on._

_"You can run, but you can't escape, little pet warrior!" the Bane cackled. Gregor began to feel as though the wretched rat dictator was right._

_Suddenly, an agile rat leapt up and snared Ares's wing, pitching Gregor off of the black bat and into a deep pit. Gregor got over the initial shock of being tossed there, when he began to panic. It felt as though a pressure was pushing don on him somewhat, although he could not see anything abnormal. He went to try to get up and out of the pit, when he gave a startled cry. Well, he tried to, but it felt as if all the air was being forced from his lungs. He tried unsuccessfully to draw a breath. _

_His lungs were moving just fine, so why couldn't he breathe? Then it hit him. He was being suffocated! He fell to the ground, writhing, twitching, __just__ trying to breathe. His lungs burned as though he had inhaled fire and it was raging inside of him. He felt his heart shudder in his chest, as his eyes lost focus and his body became limp. The last thing he saw was lava falling into the pit, trapping his body in a fiery tomb for eternity as he entered the void._

"Overlander?" Gregor heard Ergane's voice ask uncertainly. "Be you well?"

Gregor realized that he had another nightmare, even up here on Ergane. Being on a flier probably explained why he had not died by falling this time.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he lied. His heart was beating rapidly, and his forehead was covered with sweat. "Just another nightmare."

"What of?" the flier asked curiously.

"I was suffocated in the pit, just as I watched hundreds of Nibblers get suffocated by the Bane on my last trip here. I always die in my dreams, always at the Bane's hand. Ares does, too. Generally, I fall, but today my subconscious must've known that I have you here to catch me."

Unsure of how to answer that, Ergane did not say anything more. In fact, nobody spoke until Howard announced that they were nearing the Fount.

"I am unsure of where they would be exactly, but our best bet is around the southwest side, closest to Regalia, as this is the one that Hermes is most likely to have flown over," he told the rest of the party. "We will begin searching there. There are quite a few tunnels that are rather deep and difficult to find with your eyes. Echolocation will help immensely."

Gregor had forgotten that Howard, in addition to being an amazing doctor, had lived near the Fount for the majority of his life, so he would know the surrounding areas well.

Clicking, Gregor found that Howard was right. Around ten or so tunnels in the rock, nearly invisible by eye, stuck out for Gregor's ears.

"I see them with my echo vision," he told them.

The fliers nodded in agreement.

"I favor the one on the third from the left," Nike told them. "Should we look into each tunnel as pairs?"

"I think that to be a good idea," Howard agreed.

"We will start on the far left," Ergane purred, "and we will make our way right."

"And we will start on the right," Luxa announced.

"It seems fitting for us to start in the middle, then," Nike said, starting with the fifth tunnel from either side.

"Oh, do not forget a sword, Gregor!" Howard passed him a sword. That had completely slipped Gregor's mind. It never hurt to have a sword with you in the Underland, he had learned.

"Ready, Overlander?" Ergane inquired.

"Whenever you are."

Ergane directed himself for the long tunnel on the left. Cautiously, they flew the length of it, finding no signs of inhabitants. This was the same for the next two tunnels. On the fourth tunnel, however, they found the rebellion.

Quickly but quietly, Ergane flew out of the tunnel to alert the others. Nike and Howard were out in no time, followed by Luxa and Aurora. The six of them quietly hovered out of sight, yet within earshot of the insurgence. It seemed as though a meeting was going on. Several Gnawers were present, no doubt to talk of alliances between them and the human rebellion. A wicked rat voice spoke.

"We agree that the human government needs to fall. Our group numbers in the two thousands, and will be willing to assist you, so long as your troops do not attack us. We will fight on two different sides of the battlefield. Meet with us in four days time at our base to discuss tactics and a plan of battle."

"Yes, Flitfang. We will be there." The voice was sweet sounding and familiar, but hard to place. It brought memories of confusion, splintered vision, holding a sword for the first time. A deep pit formed in Gregor's stomach. He knew who this was.

"Stellovet," Howard breathed. After all, she was his younger sister. Oh, man, poor Howard.

The rats seemed to have picked up on their presence.

"Spies!" one rat growled.

"Humans, will you not give chase on your fliers?" The rat known as Flitfang hissed.

Aurora hurtled from the tunnel's mouth, followed closely by Nike and Ergane plus a few rebels who were pursuing them. The fliers were beat, and it seemed as though the insurgents would catch them, as their fliers were well rested and willing to pursue them to Regalia if need be. That is, if Ergane, Nike, and Aurora didn't pass out due to exhaustion, first.

"It's no good!" Luxa shouted. "We will have to fight them sooner or later. We may as well make it sooner."

They looped around to face their pursuers. Thankfully, there were only three of them, each on bats, presumably their bonds.

Drawing his sword, Gregor felt the rager sensation buzzing in his veins. He caught a glimpse of the underside of a bat, one rider's jugular, a spot below another rider's right lung as his vision began to splinter, excluding anything of unimportance. Although he liked and was used to fighting with Ares, but he worked well with Ergane, too.

"Watch your left side!" the striped bat called.

"Yeah, thanks," Gregor grunted. He could hear Solovet's voice in his head as he heard it in his ears. The ex-head of the Regalian army and her bond had been ambushed by Gnawers on the way to visit with the spinners during the last war. Gregor didn't like her at all, but he was the only one who had wanted to go after her to warn her.

A small cut on his left arm brought him back to the present time.

"I haven't fought another human on a flier before," Gregor told Ergane.

"I have not, either," The bat replied, as they changed targets.

Gregor managed to tag one of the enemy riders under their ribs, leaving a large cut over the rider's abdomen. The rider cried out in pain, and his flier turned around to take him back to the rebel headquarters.

Taking a second to glance at the others briefly, Gregor watched as two things happened at once. First, Howard managed to put a two foot long tear in the flier he was fighting's wing. Second, he watched as if in slow motion as a deep gash was cut into Luxa's leg, throwing her from Aurora and leaving her at the mercy of the rebel rider and their bond until she was picked up by her bond, who had a small rip on the tip of her wing. Ergane must've saw this, too, because next second he and Gregor were over there, engaging the insurgent in combat. Surprise was on the duo's side, allowing Gregor to quickly disable the pair with one stroke of his sword, catching the human's sword arm and the flier's wing, spinning them off course and sending them back to their base, near the Fount.

"How fares everyone?" Howard asked, flying up to everyone else on Nike. "Cousin, your leg…," he said, glancing at Luxa's leg, which was bleeding badly. "Let me stitch that."

They landed on the ground, and Howard began patching everyone up, starting with Luxa. Gregor took a look at his left arm, where the other rider had cut him. It wasn't to deep. In fact, the bleeding had lessened, and the wound had started to clot over. Ergane did not seem to have been injured at all, and Howard and Nike were in good shape.

Aurora's wing was not too bad, either.

"I will be able to fly home with it," she had said.

"We need to rest for the night, the fliers are ready to drop and we need rest, too. I'll take the first watch," Howard decided.

Gregor lay down and began to drift off to sleep…


	9. Chapter 9

_It was dark. Gregor could feel the rats chasing him, their hot breath on his neck. He turned around, sword drawn, to face only shadows. He clicked, trying to pinpoint the rats with his echolocation. There was nothing but Ares, who was flying overhead. _

_"Come get me, warrior," a voice echoed, taunting him. He couldn't tell where it came from, only that it was everywhere, hunting him, stalking him._

_Chills ran down Gregor's spine, as he turned in circles, looking for the source of the voice, trying to find it, slay it. _

_"Warrior," The voice was clearly the Bane's. Gregor tightened his grip on this sword._

_"Look around you, warrior, I am here. I am with you," This was getting ridiculous. Where was the white rat? Gregor's question was soon answered._

_Ares flew lower, closer to Gregor. "I hear it, too," the bat said, troubled._

_"Oh warrior," the Bane's voice taunted. "I am behind you. Come and get me."_

_Gregor swung around. At first, it seemed he was facing nothing but a wall, but he saw it was actually a mirror. Looking at his reflection, Gregor put a hand up to the shiny, polished wall. All of a sudden, his reflection changed. He grew seven feet, white hairs sprouting all over his body. His face lengthened and a tail began growing in. Wicked claws grew off of his hands and feet, and his teeth became vicious incisors._

_"I am you, little warrior," the voice whispered softly._

_"No!" Gregor cried. Clicking, he noticed that he was not the Bane, only his reflection resembled it. Sighing with relief, his echoes found that the Bane was standing right in front of him._

_Grunting, Gregor jabbed his sword into the mirror wall, which shattered, covering himself and his bond with the reflective rock._

_"Look behind you," the voice crooned. Gregor turned again, only to find himself staring at a thirteen-and-a-half foot mass of fur and muscle._

_"Warrior," the Bane said quietly, before reaching one claw up and ripping Ares's throat out and sticking the other claw downward, tearing open Gregor's chest. As almost all the blood left his body and he collapsed, Gregor felt a sense of dread and despair, before the world dissolved before his eyes…_

Gregor awoke to find Nike on watch. There was no way he was going back to sleep now, and she looked exhausted, so he offered to take over for her.

"Thank you, Overlander. I will conserve my energy for the return trip," she had said, before falling to sleep almost instantly.

Two hours later, Howard woke up and suggested that they get a move on to Regalia.

"If the rebels don't come looking for us, no doubt the Regalians will have sent a search party," he reasoned.

"You may sleep if you wish, Overlander," Ergane told him when they were in the air, though Gregor stayed awake.

"I'm fine," he told the bat. And he was.

He had things on his mind. Like Stellovet's treachery. Why would she turn against her own people? But Gregor already knew the answer to that. She wanted the crown. And she was willing to kill anybody who stood in her way. Her cousins, her grandfather probably, her own _brother, _even. Gregor thought of something Luxa had told him once.

_"She dreams of Nerissa and me dying so that Vikus is made king and she, as his granddaughter, would be a princess."_

Geez. There was always something with Luxa's family. From when Gregor had first come down, there had been first the treacherous cousin, Henry, who had sold them all to the rats; then there was the grandmother, Solovet, who had a plague developed as a weapon to kill the rats, even though it had killed loads of people, and not just the rats. Next, you had your pacifist uncle, Hamnet, who had left Regalia ten years before meeting up with people again; who had fled his mother and nearly gone insane because he accidentally flooded the Garden of Hesperides, killing hundreds of rats, pups and adults alike, as well as quite a few humans and fliers, including his own bond. Now there was Stellovet, wretched and greedy, turning against her own family so that she may rule the humans.

Gregor had barely noticed when they had reached Regalia, he'd been so caught up in thought.

Vikus greeted them in the High Hall.

"Did you find anything?" he inquired excitedly.

"Yes, but let us not speak here," Luxa said, limping off Aurora.

Vikus nodded. "You are injured?" he asked them.

"It's nothing life threatening," She responded. "Howard has tended to us already."

Seeing that they had no urgent need of medical care, he led the three humans to his study, while the fliers went to rest. Ripred joined them on the way.

"So," Vikus started, once they were in his room, "what have you found out?"

Howard began explaining about the tunnels, but it got difficult for him as he started to tell about his sister. Gregor took over for him there.

"There was a meeting going on between the leaders of the rebellions. There was a rat named Flitfang, who is leading the Gnawers-"

"That does not surprise me," Ripred muttered. "Oh, sorry, go on."

"And," Gregor continued, shooting Ripred a look, "Leading the human rebels is Stellovet."

Vikus was shocked. "Stellovet? Are you certain?"

"Quite," Luxa said, indifferently. "I would know her voice anywhere, and Howard recognized it as well."

"This is quite something. I would never have expected it to be her."

Vikus seemed deeply troubled by the news, but you could hardly blame him, since his family was split in two with allegiance. He put his elbows on his desk and began to rub his temples, leaving his head resting on his thumbs.

After a few minutes, he looked up. "I apologize. Please continue."

Luxa finished up the story from there, telling how they had fought off the rebels and made their way back.

"Has anything exciting happened here?" Luxa asked once she had finished.

"Why, now that you mention it, yes," Ripred spoke for Vikus. "Lizzie has made a discovery in the Tales of the Sword of Shadow that she read. It may mean nothing, and just be coincidence. But look at the names of the king mentioned and his brother. Gerrog and Perdir. 'Gerrog', in fact, is an anagram for 'Gregor', while 'Perdir' is a cryptogram for Ripred. This may or may not coincide with the prophecy's mention of two ragers fighting, which may be you and me," the rat finished.

Whoa. This was quite a discovery. How did Lizzie take this, thinking that her brother and her potentially best friend, at least here in the Underland, were going to fight to the death? Especially since Lizzie was anxious in general, this thought must've freaked her out a bit.

Just then, an Underlander dashed in through the door.

"Vikus," he said, panting, "A guard was attacked, we think by the Sword of Shadow. We cannot awaken him. And Mareth is missing."


	10. Chapter 10

* * *

**PART II**

**THE JOURNEYS**

* * *

Mareth was missing! Kidnapped, no doubt. As the head of the Regalian army, he was a likely target.

"What shall be done, Vikus?" the Underlander who had brought the news asked.

Vikus thought for a few moments. "I will come up with something. You may leave," he finally said.

The Underlander nodded and left.

"You are going to find Mareth." Vikus had not commanded this, nor did he ask if they were going after their friend. It was a simple statement, yet it showed how much Vikus knew about them.

"We are," Luxa agreed.

"Fly you high."

Once out of Vikus's office, Howard and Luxa started arguing where Mareth would have been taken.

"He would be in the Gnawer's hideout, as they know we know of the humans'. Besides, if Mareth escaped and was near the fount, don't you think he'd be better off than in the Gnawer lands or the Deadlands or wherever the Gnawers hide," Luxa told her cousin.

"But we do not know where that is. It could be anywhere in the Gnawer lands, the Firelands, the Deadlands, the Uncharted lands even! We do know where the Humans are at least, and besides, since a guard was attacked by a _sword, _humans would at least have to be present. I say we look back near the Fount," Howard argued back.

"Ripred suggests that you ask a rat with the supreme knowledge of the Gnawer lands, the Deadlands, and the Uncharted lands." Startled by the rat's sudden interjection, everyone turned to face him.

"What do you suggest, Ripred?" Luxa asked, sighing, partly grateful, partly annoyed.

"Really? You mean me?" Ripred exclaimed in mock flattery.

"This is serious, Ripred, and if you are not going to treat it that way, you may as well stop speaking," she told him, now just annoyed.

"If you are going to be that way, I may as well go somewhere I'm appreciated." The rat let the threat hang.

Luxa sighed. "Fine, Ripred, you may stay. What is your opinion on the matter?"

"Well, if it were me kidnapping Mareth, I'd probably take him to one of the places you mentioned, Your Highness-"

He was cut off as Luxa gave her cousin a triumphant 'Ha!'. Ripred shot her a look, but continued.

"However, where exactly, I am not sure, so I think it would be best you had someone who got along well with other species for this, as persuasion is always a helpful tool."

"We will see if Hazard will come," Luxa announced.

"Yes, Hazard would be good for that," the rat agreed.

Hazard had been excited to join the group, and within the next two hours, everyone was preparing to leave. Hazard's bond joined them, as well. He was the best-rested flier.

"Greetings, I am he called Atlas," The bat told them. He was a massive black bat, resembling Ares very much, except for a gold band encompassing his body from wingtip to wingtip, and gold fur framing his ears. Gregor nearly cried when he saw them.

"I apologize, Overlander, have I done something to upset you?"

Gregor just shook his head. "Not your fault," he grunted, shutting his eyes tight.

The same cruel memory burned itself into his brain.

"_Get out of there, Ares!" Wing snagged. Pulled in. Teeth on neck. Sword through heart. Claws on chest. "Don't go, Ares, okay? Don't." Ares the filer, I bond to you. Pure blue light…_

"You remind him much of his old bond," Nike explained to Atlas. "You do look much like him."

A tear rolled down Gregor's cheek. Standing up, he wiped it away.

"Sorry, I don't mean anything by it, it's just that Ares…" Tears began to form in his eyes again.

"There is no need to apologize, Overlander," Atlas purred softly. "You can no more help associating me with my cousin than I can help looking like him."

"Cousin?" Gregor looked up. This bat was Ares's cousin?

"Yes, his mother Hera's brother was my father, Zeus. So that makes us cousins in the human standard, does it not?"

"It does. You look much like him," Luxa responded for Gregor.

"Should we not be getting going now?" Howard asked.

They agreed, taking to the air. Gregor spent the first half of the trip to the Gnawer lands deep in thought about his bond. About Ares. He recalled some good memories, which had all been painful to think of.

Crossing the Waterway.

Finding the baby Bane, and delivering it to Ripred.

The Hellish picnic through Hades Hall.

Fighting in the war.

The final moments with the Bane. The scene played back in his head again.

_"I've got to get in closer if I'm going to take him out!"_

_"Hang on!"_

_"Get out! Get out, Ares!"_

_"Ares!"_

_Too close. Everyone supported by teeth and swords and claws._

_"Ares? Ares? Don't go, Ares, okay? Don't."_

* * *

Gregor had fallen asleep again. No nightmares this time, he'd already had enough sad thoughts. He awoke with the fliers landing. 

"We must rest," Ergane told him. "We are greatly tired."

"I will take the first watch," Hazard announced.

"Yeah, I will, too." Gregor said, sitting down near Hazard.

"You have been troubled this whole trip," Hazard commented, sitting next to Gregor. "You miss him."

Gregor nodded. Hazard still had the ability to say the plain truth, without softening or strengthening it.

"I know how you feel. We all miss Ares."

_You don't know how I feel!_ Gregor was about to shout. But then he remembered Thalia. Thalia and Hazard were going to bond, but the little flier had gotten suffocated by poisonous fumes on their 'picnic' last time Gregor was there. That picnic had turned out to be a disaster.

"He flies with you still, and will continue to forever," Hazard told him. "One day you will feel this in your heart instead of just thinking it in your head, trying to believe it."

Gregor nodded again, but wanted to get off the subject. "I haven't seen you in along time, Hazard. How many more languages have you learned?" he half-joked.

"I now know Human, Hisser, Crawler, Gnawer, Nibbler, Flier, Spinner, Stinger, Digger, and Cutter."

"Wow. You've been busy." Ten languages! Geez! It had taken Gregor four years to get the hang of the Spanish they were learning in school. And that was using the same letters, or sounds at least!

Hazard nodded proudly, though neither of them said anything for the rest of the watch.

Howard and Luxa soon awoke for the second shift, allowing Gregor and Hazard some sleep.

Gregor was unable to sleep, though he closed his eyes and tried. He was almost out when he heard Howard begin to talk to Luxa.

"You need to stop pursuing the Overlander," Howard whispered to her.

"You need to mind your own business."

"There is no foreseeable happiness between you two. He will end up having to go back to the Overland even if it is through no fault of his own, leaving you to shut yourself in your room for days again." Howard hissed.

What was that? Luxa had shut herself up in her room for days?

"I said _stay out of it," _Luxa told him through clenched teeth. "Besides, I trust no one's visions apart from Nerissa's. Not Vikus's, not Mareth's, not Ripred's, and most certainly not yours!"

"I am only concerned for you, you needn't be so defensive."

"I would not be so defensive if you did not make it a point to be so concerned!"

They glared at each other, before turning away for the remainder of their watch.


	11. Chapter 11

When they resumed travel the next day, Gregor couldn't help to notice that Luxa was avoiding everyone's gaze. She must've been thinking about what Howard had told her before.

_"There is no foreseeable happiness between you two. He will end up having to go back to the Overland, even if it is through no fault of his own, leaving you to shut yourself in your room for days again." _

Unsure of where to go, Hazard asked a small party of Gnawers in rat in they knew where the rebellion was hiding. They were given the information 'somewhere in the Firelands'.

Going to the Firelands, however, was not helpful at all. Despite the foul air and volcanoes, it was a really good place for a Gnawer hideout. The volcoanes glowed a bit, but all of a sudden, more light flooded in, a bright yellow and an orange bit of light, somewhat above them.

"Greetings. I am he called Photos Glo—"

"This time, it's MY turn!" another voice wailed.

"No, it's not!"

"Greetings. I am she called Zap, and this is Photos Glow-Glow."

"Gah! It was _clearly _my turn to make the introduction," the first voice, that of Photos Glow-Glow called out.

"You made it last time, though, and the four times before that, so it was obviously not your—"

"It is okay, shiners, we know who you are. We have had dealings in the past, usually dealings that ended up with us being sold out to the Gnawers for some free food," Howard spat.

"Ah, yes, I do remember this one," Photos Glow-Glow said.

"Oh, yes, that one over there, too! We saved his life, I remember," Zap replied, gesturing to Gregor.

It was true. The last time Gregor had heard of the shiners was that they had rescued him from the cave where he lay bleeding to death after fighting the Bane. But all the times before that when they had met, the Shiners sold them out to the Gnawers for some food.

"We have no food for you, shiners, and we would appreciate you leaving," Howard said, trying to not lose his temper with the bugs.

This time, unlike in Hades Hall, Luxa agreed with Howard.

"Yes," she told them, "get you gone. We have no food for you, and cannot have you go sell us out to the Gnawers."

Unhappy that they were not fed, the shiners left their company, grumbling.

Run-ins with the shiners were always entertaining, if not annoying. Mareth told Gregor once that he had seen a pair try to fight to the death over a piece of cake. Try had been the key word there, though. They ended up accusing each other of cheating, and both spent several hours fuming.

It was not two hours after they left the shiners that they were ambushed by a party of Gnawers.

"Shiners," Howard groaned, as ten Gnawers leapt at them. "Stupid shiners."

Gregor drew his sword in preparation to fight the Gnawers. He felt the Rager sensation begin buzzing through his veins.

They began diving at the rats. It was much easier to fight a rat on the ground as opposed to another human in the air. Gregor was more used to it. He had managed to slay four rats unscathed, but on the fifth, the gnawer landed its claw on his left shoulder. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he and Ergane swung back around for another attack. As he ran his blade through the rat, Gregor looked up to see Howard get torn from Nike, a Gnawer's tail around his arm. Howard was pulled to the ground, the Gnawer about to tear him open, when Luxa stabbed the rat right through the back. The rat toppled forward, landing sideways on Howard.

There were still three rats living, and three Humans conscious, one with no sword, one not trained to fight. The rats were agile; quick and could jump high. Luxa still had her dagger, though it would be very hard to kill a rat with it.

Gregor managed to run another rat through, evening up the sides a bit. His shoulder burned where the rat had clawed him, blood running down his arm. Ergane circled around the rat, allowing Gregor to get through its defenses from the front, cutting an artery in its leg. His work on that work done, Gregor turned to se how Luxa was doing with just her dagger.

Luxa jumped from her bond, hurling herself at the gnawer, landing on its back. Stabbing the rat where it's heart was, she seemed to have succeeded. However, it took another ten or so seconds for the rat to die. Thrashing about wildly, it threw her from its back, slamming her into a wall.

Gregor's vision swam. His wound was draining him. Draining him of energy, draining him or blood, draining him of light. He flickered in and out of consciousness while Hazard took charge.

Gregor remembered Ergane putting him on the ground. Watching the fliers move the dead rat off of Howard. Flying through the air…

Gregor awoke highly confused. They were in a familiar looking tunnel, but why? And where were they exactly? His shoulder hurt less than he would have expected. He glanced at it, finding it to be tightly wrapped in a bandage. He sat up, blinking a few times. Hazard was walking over to him.

"Gregor? You are awake now?" The boy asked.

"Nope, I'm still unconscious, Hazard."

Hazard smiled.

"Where are we?"

"In the spinner lands. I convinced the spinners that it would be in their best interest to give us food, shelter, and medical aid. We have only been here a few hours. Luxa and Howard are still unconscious, and the fliers rest."

Gregor went to get up, but a spider sat him back down. It began making some drumming and vibrations, which Gregor took to be spinner language.

Hazard translated. "Arrox requests that you lie down, or else she will need to tie you down. You need rest."

Gregor had no choice but to lie down. Tired and bored, he quickly drifted off to sleep.


	12. Chapter 12

_Gregor struggled to free himself from the flier's claws. He knew it would mean death for him, death by falling, but he had to get free. It didn't matter that he would just be picked up anyway, he needed to get to Luxa. She was falling, falling into empty space, screaming out for Aurora, for Ares, even for Gregor himself. He_ had_ to get to her!_

_Biting, kicking, squirming, Gregor tried to make it impossible for the flier restraining him to hold on. The claws had a grip on him like iron, though, and refused to budge._

_"Luxa!" he called out to her, as if by calling her name she would be caught._

_Gregor had miraculously broken the flier's hold, and began plummeting downward. But however fast he'd fall, Luxa would fall faster. Remembering what he had learned in science one year, he turned in the air so as little surface area of his was pointing down, causing less air resistance. But physics did not seem to apply. _

_"Gregor!" she called back, falling faster than he was, still._

_The ground loomed nearer, growing big in his echo picture, until it was finally visible by eye. Gregor was cruelly unable to shut his eyes, unable to blink or turn away as Luxa hit the ground. It was awful, watching her land, hearing the crack as her back broke, blood pooling out onto the ground. Her legs were splayed at awkward angles, her eyes staring without seeing right at him. Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, Gregor hit the ground several seconds later._

Jolted awake as he hit the ground, Gregor sat up panting, covered with sweat. He ignored the suggestions to sit down coming from the vibrating speech of the spinners. He kept walking until he found where Luxa was, unconscious still, and lay down next to her.

Gregor awoke with his arm around Luxa, who was just waking up herself. Neither of them bothered to move, they just lay there for the longest time, before Luxa finally asked, "Nightmare?"

"Yeah."

"What of?"

"You died."

Luxa did not make him elaborate, though he did anyway.

"It was awful, having to watch. You were falling, and I was falling after you. But for every foot I'd fall, you'd fall two. What was the worst, though, was when you hit the bottom of the chasm. I don't ever want to…will you promise me something?"

"I will try."

"Don't ever die. Okay?"

She sighed. "I cannot promise that, Gregor."

At his troubled expression, she added, "I will try."

Gregor half-smiled. He pulled her in close, the top of her head resting under his chin, so she was looking right at the five claw mark scars made by the Bane on his chest. She pulled back a bit, and they started to kiss.

Howard groaned from next to them. He was beginning to come to, and Gregor did not want to be caught on the overprotective-cousin radar. He started to get up, but Luxa pulled him back down, shooting him a look that said 'Stay and watch the fireworks, it'll be fun!'.

Gregor did not like having his back facing Howard, especially if he was sleeping next to Luxa. He could anticipate another one of Howard's talks about Overlanders and queens and Underlanders and warriors and whatnot.

Based on Luxa's eyes, she and Howard were having a giant look-shooting battle. Luxa was now using 'It's none of your business, so stay out of it'. Gregor could tell that Howard was steaming, probably glaring out 'Remember our talk about this?'. He didn't like to be in the middle of this, but Gregor didn't have a choice.

They stopped glaring at each other when Hazard appeared, informing them that the fliers were ready to go and head back to Regalia, if everyone else was okay to travel.

"Thank you for the kindness and aid you have given us," Luxa told the spinners as they were leaving. "It will not go forgotten."

The flight to Regalia from the spinner's lands was awkwardly silent, as most of the flights had been. Gregor felt bad about giving up on finding Mareth, though there really was no way to locate him.

Regalia was under siege when they returned. Several rebellious humans on bats were fighting humans on bats, while the other human insurgents fought on foot, on the opposite side of the field from a medium-sized army of gnawers. Amid the turmoil, Gregor saw several enemy fliers trying to enter the High hall. That must be where the war was being directed.

After quickly flying through the war zone, they arrived in the High Hall to find several humans directing the operations. One of them was Mareth.

"Mareth! You have returned? We thought you had been kidnapped by gnawers," Howard called out.

"I was taken to the rebel hiding near the Fount. I managed to escape and get back here," the ex-soldier explained. "But enough on that. Are you able to go to request assistance from the Gnawers, the Nibblers, the Fount, and the Fliers?"

"I am. Fliers, how fare you?" Luxa asked.

They seemed to agree that they would be able to make it to the Gnawers with an hours' rest.

"Then it is settled. We will depart in an hour."


	13. Chapter 13

Gregor tried to rest, too, but it wasn't coming. He decided to take a walk, just to clear his head. He had no idea where he was going; he was just wandering around the halls, thinking. Thinking about who else had been trapped by Sandwich, who else had been caught in his prophecies. His legs took him to the infamous room, the one that had started so much death, so much strife.

Gregor stopped as he was about to open the old wooden door, finding a noise emanating from the room. He put his ear to the hole made by his blade all those years ago, causing the room to come into silvery focus. He did not have to click; there was enough of a steady sound to get a clear vision. Sobbing. In one corner, not the one that her cousin is often found in, Luxa had her head buried in her knees.

Trying the handle, he found that the door was locked. But the noise of the handle alerted Luxa of his presence. The sobbing either ceased or dropped down to a low enough level that Gregor couldn't hear it. After a minute, she got up and unlocked the door. Her eyes were a bit red, and her pale skin had a pinkish glow to it, but her voice was steady. She looked surprised to see him at the door.

"I was just… oh, Gregor! I was expecting Nerissa. I…she…just loaned me the key, and…I was…"

Gregor dismissed it with a shrug, adding a soft, "its okay."

He put his arm around her shoulders, she leaned her cheek on his. Gregor allowed himself to be led into the room. She brought him to the corner that she had been sitting in before. The stone was still warm where she had sat. They sat huddled together in silence for awhile, her head on his shoulder, his head on hers; her hands around his waist, as if he were a stuffed animal for her to hug, his right arm reaching behind her neck, ending on her right shoulder.

Gregor stared at the prophecy in the opposite corner. _The Peacemaker._One of few stories that wasn't predicting something awful in the future of Regalia. But almost all the others were. Curiously, Gregor turned to the prophecy Luxa would have been reading, wondering what he'd find. He followed her line of sight. _'The Prophecy of Lies'_ stared him in the face.

_Bonded to the golden light_

_Brings a danger out of sight _

_Sorrow and hate will cause demise_

_Underlanders, open your eyes._

_-_

_Newly risen to the throne_

_Of traitor blood and traitor bone_

_Sorrow and hate—_

There was a knock on the door.

"Luxa?" Gregor heard Nerissa's voice call out. "You are to be at the High Hall in five minutes to depart to the Gnawer lands. I suggest you head there now."

"Yes, I will be there, Nerissa."

Gregor heard footsteps leave.

"We must not be discovered, Gregor," Luxa said in an urgent whisper, speaking to him coherently for the first time since he entered. "I will count to thirty after I leave the room, then head the opposite way. It will not be easy to avoid the counsel here if we are discovered. Say that you were looking at the Prophecy of Shadow again if you are asked."

"Alright." Gregor somewhat wished that he could have been the one to wait to thirty, just so he could finish reading the prophecy. Clicking one last time to catch some of the Prophecy of lies, he headed out the door to find his way back to the High Hall. He caught the right half of the ending stanza.

_-n__ot stop love_

_-__elow or those above_

_-__hate__ the land shall reign_

_-__rland is slain._

Luxa showed up a minute after he did, her face not betraying them.

"Fliers, rest you well?" she asked, not even looking at Gregor.

The bats each responded with a nod, before gesturing for their riders to climb on their backs.

"Fly you high," Vikus called from the High Hall. He waved, but hi expression was hinting sadness. There was no reason for him not to be sad, though. There he was, in the middle of a war, waving three of his grandkids off to ask help from the rats, especially since nearly half his family was dead. It was not a funny thought, but Gregor decided that Vikus's family tree must have looked like it was the middle of fall.

Opening his mouth to call out a response to the old man, Gregor realized that they were already past the battle, heading toward the gnawers. Who ruled the gnawers now? Probably Lapblood, since Ripred seemed more like an ambassador than the king. He'd told Gregor before that he didn't really want to rule. Yes, Ripred seemed more like the type to hang out with the humans, get fed shrimp in cream sauce, and shoot off his cynical mouth.

Gregor's thoughts turned to the prophecy he'd read less than an hour ago, trying to unravel it in his head. Only having a bit of it made it more confusing than what it may have been whole. He recalled what he had.

_Bonded to the golden light_

_Brings a danger out of sight _

_Sorrow and hate will cause demise_

_Underlanders, open your eyes._

_-_

_Newly risen to the throne_

_Of traitor blood and traitor bone_

_Sorrow and hate—_Nerissa had cut him off there.

_-n__ot stop love_

_-__elow or those above_

_-__hate the land shall reign_

_-__rland is slain._

He tried as best as he could to fill in some of the ending words to the last verse. He came up with

_-n__ot stop love_He didn't have a clue what might go there.

_B__elow or those above_He added a B to make 'elow' Below.

_Sorrow and __hate the land shall reign_Sorrow and Hate seemed to be the third line's trend.

_And the Unde__rland is slain._The two options for the first word he'd gotten were Underland and Overland. The Underland being slain was more Sandwich-like.

He could easily ask one of the others what the prophecy said, but he didn't think he'd get a straight answer, based on how they'd withheld the Prophecy of Time from him. Besides, that would tell them he'd been in the Prophecy room with Luxa. It was okay, though, that he didn't know. While curiosity was eating him up inside, he'd be able to push it from his mind long enough to focus on the task at hand. Which was asking the Gnawers for help.

An array of tunnel entrances in the side of the cliff announced the Gnawer lands. Flying by one, Gregor clicked to gauge its depth, but it branched out in so many directions and seemed to go on forever, confusing his ear's eye. The deep gruff voice of one of two rat guards addressed them.

"Greetings, Queen Luxa, Gregor the Overlander, other human, and fliers. I am Breakneck. Queen Lapblood was expecting you, but she has gone away for a few days on an urgent but confidential matter. Instead, Scratchsore and I will take you to Prince Flyfur. He rules us in his mother's absence." The rat called Breakneck gestured for them to follow them into the tunnels.

The eight were lead blindly by stranger rats into an unknown network of tunnels filled with Gnawers. Oddly, Gregor felt safe.


	14. Chapter 14

The vast network of tunnels that made up some of the Gnawer lands would confuse anyone who had not been there for more than half a year. Every ten or so yards, the route they were taking would have other tunnel leading off of it, twist and wind itself all around, or fork off into two, three, four, and sometimes five or more tunnels. Invading the Gnawers would only cause a large loss of troops, as the few who made it through without being slaughtered by hiding rats would not be able to find their way out again, and would wander until they were picked off by rats, or died of hunger or dehydration.

"How do you find your way through this?" Gregor called down to the guards.

Scratchsore answered him. "Most of us grew up here, but even a stranger Gnawer could find their way through with their nose. We have the tunnels marked with scents that only rats can smell. Each scent goes to a different place. As we speak, the tunnel to our left eventually would take you to our nursery." Scratchsore flicked her tail to the left to point it out. "Right now, we are headed to the throne room. This is where Prince Flyfur will see you."

Gregor hadn't realized that the rats would think of something like that as a defense. But then, He'd never really considered how smart most of the rats he had actually gotten to know were. Mostly, he'd just thought of aggressive half-wits, though he knew this was far from true. He just needed to think of Ripred, Lapblood, Twitchtip, and even Twirltongue, whom he despised, to remember that rats were anything but stupid.

After a few minutes of more winding passages, the four humans and fliers, along with the two rat guards, arrived at the Gnawer throne. It was just as Gregor had expected it. The chamber was round, huge ceilings hung above. There was a large stone seat in the center, with a large brownish rat draped lazily across it. He was gnawing on one of the many bones that were strewn across the cavern. He straightened up when he noticed he had company.

"Oh, humans. What are they here for?" Flyfur asked, a hint of contempt in his voice.

"We request assistance from the Gnawers. We are under siege by some rebel groups, Humans and other Gnawers," Luxa addressed him, sounding somewhat irritated. She obviously did not enjoy being spoken about as if they were not in the room. Gregor figured the rats must have thought about the humans the same as he'd thought about the rats.

"Ah," Flyfur responded in a slightly apologetic tone. "Yes, I will see what I can do to send aid."

Flyfur called to a rat near the throne room's entrance. "Benttail, will you summon Sledgespine, I have need of his counsel."

The gnawer nodded, quickly dashing off. He returned a minute later with a large, scarred rat with one ear.

"You called for me, Your Highness?" The big gnawer, apparently Sledgespine, asked, addressing Flyfur.

"Yes, Sledgespine, I have need of your counsel." Flyfur looked at the huge rat. "I do not have full authority over the Gnawers while my mother still lives, but I wish to send support to our allies. They are under siege by rebel gnawers and humans, and request our assistance. As the head of our armies, I leave the decision to you, though I find it would be good to aid our allies."

The battle worn gnawer began grooming his salt-and-pepper coat as he spoke. He sighed, deep in thought. Finally, he said, "Yes, Flyfur, I will prepare our army to march for Regalia immediately."

"Excellent. Yes, go do that now."

As the old looking rat left, Flyfur turned to them.

"Thank you for your support, Prince Flyfur," Luxa told the rat prince formally.

"Oh, any time. Any time at all you need our assistance, we will be happy to oblige," Flyfur responded, much more friendly than when he had first spoken.

"And we will return the favor."

The gnawer paused for a second. "Fliers, you look exhausted. Would your party like to stay and rest awhile here?"

Everyone exchanged looks for a second, before it was decided to rest up for a few hours before traveling the long journey to the jungle Nibbler colony.

Flyfur clapped his paws together happily. "Excellent! Here, Breakneck and Scratchsore will show you to where you may stay, then will guard you while you rest."

The pair of gnawers lead the group down a series of tunnels to a rectangular room, not unlike the throne room, where they were to sleep. There was a small nest of some kind of dried plant for bedding in one corner, along with a thin stone bar stretching across the cavern, around three feet from the high ceiling. Gregor couldn't guess what it was for at first, but realized it was for bats to sleep once the four fliers fluttered up there.

"This room was built during one of our rare times of peace with the humans," Breakneck explained. "It was kept to accommodate our guests and their fliers on diplomatic visits. This is why it sits so close to the throne room."

"I learned a lot about gnawers today from you two. This is my first visit to this part of the gnawer lands. I have only been to the Labyrinth, and that was to find the Bane, when he was still a pup. I never knew that the Gnawer lands were so…amazing," Gregor told them.

The guards looked at him oddly, before Scratchsore finally spoke up. "Yes, our lands are different than most. Lots of humans seem to be under the impression that we are aggressive half-wits, but in fact, we have a nice defense system in. Anything that attacks would be hard-pressed to make it out of here alive."

Gregor felt guilty when the rat said this. He had thought exactly as Scratchsore had said. He'd judged the rats from what he'd seen of them in battle. Nodding awkwardly, he made his way to the pile of dried plants, where Luxa, Howard, and Hazard lay. Stretching out, Gregor closed his eyes to rest. The day had drained him, and he thought of what he knew now of the Gnawers as he slowly fell asleep.


	15. Chapter 15

_The rats were flooding into the boat, which was filling up with blood. There was nowhere to hide for Gregor. He'd have to fight them here until Ares could pick him up. It wasn't going well, though. There were too many of them, to hard to fight. He heard Ripred's voice in his head._

_"Even a rager can be outnumbered. I started to crack at about four hundred to one. You, on the other hand, I hear, cracked in the face of three."_

_There were thousands of rats, there was no way he could take them all…not where Ripred, who was by far a superior fighter to him, would be unable to. Not even spinning._

_"Ares!" His bond appeared overhead, dark wings opened like sails."Ares!"_

_Gregor looked up at his bond hopefully to save him. "Ares!"_

_"No, traitor, I will not save you," the big black bat replied coldly._

_"Ares!" Gregor cried. "What have I done wrong that you won't save me?"_

_"You sold us out to the rats, you piece of treacherous scum! Luxa is dead. Aurora is dead. And now you moan as the rats turn on you, too. You are by far worse than Henry!"_

_Just as Gregor was about to respond that this was not true, that he'd done nothing wrong, he got his throat torn out by a rat. Gurgling, blood pouring out of his mouth and neck, Gregor gave one last garbled, "Ares" before falling over, dead._

Gregor woke up itchy. All up and down his arms, small bumps had risen. He ran a hand down his shin, which was covered with the bumps, too. He tried unsuccessfully to not scratch at the irritating bulges, but the instinct to paw at his arms and legs prevailed. Stopping only when he felt a warm sticky wet cover his fingertips, Gregor scratched hard. He'd torn open his skin in a few places, but it was nothing major to him.

It was a good thing Howard awoke when he did, because otherwise Gregor would have scratched himself until there was no skin on his body.

"It appears as though you are having some kind of reaction to the plant bedding. You must stop scratching, Gregor, for you only spread the irritation around. Come here, I may have something for that."

Gregor tried not to scratch as Howard dug through his first aid kit. He came up with a foul smelling gray-green cream, which he instructed Gregor to rub on his limbs and back. It was cold on his skin, but felt soothing to the itching immediately. He almost let a sigh of relief escape him. But maybe he did, and just didn't remember.

Howard then had him wait a few minutes for the ointment to sit before allowing Gregor to rub it off. When Gregor did, he was no longer covered with the little bumps, but the cuts from where he'd scratched through his skin were still present. Howard drifted off to sleep, but Gregor didn't make any effort to fall asleep anywhere besides the bedding, which he now refused to touch.

He spoke quietly with Breakneck and Scratchsore to pass the time.

"How long have you lived here?" he asked.

"Me, about eight years. Scratchsore here, just four," Breakneck told him. Scratchsore nodded an affirmative.

"I used to live in the Labyrinth with my mate," she said softly, her eyes staring off into the distance, filling slightly with tears, as if in a painful memory. "Before the Bane was born. We left it when he was. Neither of us wanted a part of the conflict, but I we unable to avoid it. It followed us. Followed us, even if it was not his intention, on a flier, to where we'd taken refuge."

As Gregor tried to piece together the cryptic meaning of what Scratchsore had said, she went on.

"The Bane followed me and my mate, Razor, like a little white shadow once he arrived with Ripred and his band, which we'd joined. And let me tell you, once you join Ripred's band of gnawers, there is no leaving. He ended up throwing Razor off a cliff for a crawler corpse. Even after we practically _raised_ him. Thank you, Warrior, for slaying that little white ball of evil."

Whoa. Gregor had not seen that coming. He couldn't help but feel a tiny bit guilty for Razor's death; after all it was him who'd brought the Bane to Ripred. If he'd killed the Bane in the Labyrinth, would Razor, along with thousands of others, still be alive today?

_It still would have been immoral._

Ares's voice rang in his thoughts, just as it had four years ago. Would Ares still be alive, too? Would his bond be flying with him in just a few hours, when the others awakened? It was all his fault, his bond's awful death.

_Some things cannot be changed._

Wait, had Ares even said that? No, he hadn't. Gregor couldn't even remember if anyone had actually _told_ him that. Well, maybe he'd heard it in the Overland, but not here. So why was he hearing that now?

"It is okay, Scratchsore. No good would have come for you, or any of us, if we killed the Bane as a pup."

That voice was audible. Gregor looked up to find Scratchsore sobbing on one side of the doorway, with Breakneck next to her, comforting her.

"Even if you had let go while you had the Bane over the edge by the tail, Razor would be dead. And you too, most likely. Push thoughts from your head that you could have stopped any of that. Nothing could have stopped that. Nothing could have stopped him. No one could have altered destiny."

The three were silent for the next two hours, before the others woke up.

The Gnawers served them mushrooms for breakfast, as the main thing they ate was fresh kill, raw, but they sometimes ate mushrooms when food was scarce. Immediately following, they were lead through the tunnels closer to the jungle side, where the nibblers would be.

"This is where we leave you," Breakneck told them, gesturing to the tunnel exit. "We hope that aid will reach your city as quickly as possible. Run like the river."

"Fly you high, Breakneck and Scratchsore the gnawers," Luxa told them formally, as the eight lifted off into the air, on the way to the nibblers' jungle colony.


	16. Chapter 16

The flight over the jungle was much quicker than the walk through it. Of course, Gregor had already done both, but he still was a bit angered by the fact that they spent days in the heat with no food or water, when they could have made it a quick flight. But still, he wasn't complaining now about the flight. 

They stopped in a relatively not dense part of the jungle that Hazard had picked out, around halfway to the jungle nibbler colony.

"My father, Frill, and I stayed here sometimes, but only rarely. There is no fresh water around here, and no food, so It wasn't used for stays of over one night. However, the plants are harmless, and few creatures travel here, as water is not for a few days when journeying on foot. We will be okay here, though."

Hazard's lime green eyes wandered from vine to plant in memory, appearing somewhat sad. He had lived the first six years of his life here, away from war and politics, with his father, Hamnet, and the hisser, Frill, who'd both been killed by cutters in the useless battle to protect the starshade. Now he was eleven, but Gregor was sure the Halflander still called the jungle his home. It was as much Hazard's home as New York was Gregor's. No, that was a bad example. The jungle was Hazard's home like the Fount was Howard's.

Gregor offered to take the first watch, but Howard volunteered with him. Painfully anticipating another talk, similar to the one he had been given on dates several years ago, Gregor tried to think of ways he could back out. Unfortunately no ideas came to him. He had no choice but to listen to whatever Howard would have to say.

The others fell asleep slowly, preventing Howard from getting his talk over with, which was torture for Gregor, like watching an executioner sharpen his axe, then just sit there while your hands and legs were bound and your head was on the block for your own beheading. As Hazard finally drifted off, Howard raised the axe for the execution, while Gregor gritted his teeth and shut his eyes in preparation for the death blow.

Remarkably on cue, Howard began.

"Gregor, you must stop pursuing my cousin. It is better, for the both of you. I know your feelings for her, but--"

Gregor cut him off, boiling over with rage. "Really, Howard, you do?" he began to whisper-shout. "Because I think that if you did, you wouldn't be so opposed to us. I know your arguments, 'I do not want to see her sad and alone while you are forced to return to the Overland', 'She is a queen, and you are an Overlander, even more, the warrior, there could not be a worse pairing'. Well, you know what, Howard? Hear this. You think either of us would not be sad or alone or whatever no matter what you perceive us to feel for each other when I'm dragged back to the Overland by my parents? True affection can't just stop because 'the pairing is bad'! Think again, from our points of view, then talk to me."

Gregor felt a weird mix of emotion running through him, as he watched Howard's reaction to his outburst. The rager sensation felt like it was draining from him, as though he'd just been fighting. Anger churned around inside of him, and also a bit of a rebellious, defiant feeling, which was hard to describe.

Glancing around, he realized that he must've actually kept the volume level to the highest it could be without waking the others. Howard's face still in an odd look of stunned silence made Gregor feel a little bit bad, but the feeling quickly washed away when he remembered the talk he'd been about to receive. The rest of that watch was quiet, and the awkwardness became even more prominant when Hazard and Luxa got up for their watch.

_Twisters wrapped themselves around Gregor's neck, squeezing tighter. There was nothing he could think of to do to get them off, only that they were running him out of air._

_"Spin, little rager boy. Like you did before."_

_Ripred's words rang clear in his head, giving the advice always handy in a desperate situation. But the spinning only made the twisters tighten their grip, for fear of flying off. Winding themselves around Gregor's neck, cutting off his breathing, the twisters looked like they would win this fight --_

Gregor was awakened by a sudden shouting. Unsheathing his blades, rager sensation in full effect, he leapt to his feet, looking around for the cause of alarm.

Gregor found himself ready to attack a nibbler scout, who'd called back to his troop that the ones in the clearing were humans, including the queen. Letting the rager feel drain from his veins for the second time that night, Gregor sheathed his swords and proceeded to ask what was happening, though he already figured most of it out.

"We have been located by the nibblers, who wish to escort us in to the colony, which is closer to here than we originally thought," Luxa told him.

"But I thought Hazard said it was a long walk to food or water, so why shouldn't we just fly?" Gregor asked.

Hazard came rushing up to them urgently, tugging on Luxa's sleeve, which was made amuzing by the fact that Hazard was nearly six inches taller than her.

"These nibblers, they are rebels. They are the only few who have split from the colonies and wish to kidnap us, primarily you. They didn't realize that I can understand and speak nibbler fluently, and was already skeptical of their idea since I know the jungle well. We must leave immediately," Hazard told them in a low whisper.

Taking charge, the Halflander woke all the fliers apologetically. The party immediately mounted up, and with a few angry shouts from the nibblers below, set off for the real nibbler colony. They'd been lucky...this time.


	17. Chapter 17

After the run-in with the rebel nibblers, the group made their way to the actual colony. Gregor wouldn't have ever guessed that there would be any rebellious nibblers, after all the humans had done for them in the war. But then again, at one point he never guessed that he'd ever come face to face with a giant rat. After falling into the Underland, Gregor pretty much believed that anything was possible.

The flight to the colony from there was not far compared to what Gregor had expected. It could have been no more than a few hours. The colony seemed to be in better shape than when Gregor last saw it, when it was overrun with twisters. Two nibblers came out to greet them. They seemed most thrilled to see Luxa, which was expected, as she was queen, but also had a special connection to them since they had rescued her and Aurora years ago. Gregor was certain that besides the humans and maybe the fliers, Luxa was most fond of the nibblers.

One nibbler with a brown coat flecked with gray, giving the appearance that it it had just came from the Firelands spoke to them.

"Greetings, Queen Luxa," it started, in a polite way Gregor had completely expected.

"I am she called Secant. And this is my brother, Arcsec," the nibbler, who turned out to be Secant.

"Greetings, Secant and Arcsec the nibblers," Luxa responded formally. It amazed Gregor how she could have so many different personalities. There was the formal, polite, diplomatic Queen Luxa; arrogant, show-off, stuck-up Luxa; graceful, acrobatic, gymnastic Luxa; kind, modest, helpful Luxa; and the most common, mysterious, silent, reserved Luxa. And Gregor found that he loved them all.

"May we see your leader?" she asked politely, diplomatic Luxa in effect.

"Certainly," Secant said, nodding, leading them into a cave with her brother on tail.

Gregor recalled this place easily from memory, they had stayed here a few nights on their journey to the Vineyard if Eyes to find the cure to the plague. This was where Gregor discovered that Luxa and Aurora were still alive after escaping the Labyrinth. They'd gotten water and food here, too, after spending days without it. And quicksand. He'd nearly been suffocated in quicksand. This cave in particular, however, was where Aurora was lying in pain, wing dislocated, and where Hamnet had popped it back into place.

Hamnet...he was Hazard's father, killed in the fight with the cutters over the starshade. Completly against fighting after the Garden of Hespiredes incident, he'd fled Regalia escaping his mother, Solovet, and her war-like ways.

And Solovet, she was Luxa's grandmother, Vikus's wife. The head of the Regalian Army, she was a cunning as a rat in battle. She'd thrown Gregor into the dungeon for a few days for running bact to the Firelands, which had been slightly helpful, showing him that he could echolocate. But she'd done so much wrong that nothing slightly good could could alter it. She'd even caused the whole plague, which had almost killed his mom and Ares.

Ares...Gregor wasn't even going to go there. A tear formed in the corner of his eye, but he wiped it away before it could grow and escape. Wasn't it funny how a simple memory could trigger a chain reaction that generally ended with his bond?

"Welcome, humans. I am King Cavalieri." A weary voice brought him back to reality.

"Greetings, King Cavalieri. I am Queen Luxa, of Regalia --"

The nibbler king cut her off with a chuckle. "There's no need to introduce yourself. You would be hard-pressed to find a nibbler who doesn't know your name! How may I be of assistaince to you?"

This probably threw Luxa off a bit, but she didn't show it. "We are being attacked in Regalia by both rebel gnawers and humans, and having difficulty defending ourselves. The gnawers are sending us some assistaince, but would appreciate some help from the nibblers, also. Of course, if you are unable or unwilling to help us, I completly understand."

King Cavalieri thought for a bit, looking conflicted, then sighed. "It is not that are unwilling to help you, it's just that the twisters have been attacking more frequently and more strategically recently, and we can't afford to lose any more nibblers. I hope you understand."

"Completly. It is okay, you do not need to loose your territory for us. Thank you for your time, King Cavalieri."

"I am glad you are so understanding," the older nibbler said gratefully. "Will you not stay a night with us? You must be weary from your travels, and I feel obliged to do something for you."

Luxa looked all around, at the fliers specificly. Helpfully, Ergane spoke up.

"We will be okay until we exit the jungle. Though, we should make camp there."

The other fliers nodded in agreement, before King Cavalieri spoke again.

"At least let us refill your waterskins and give you some fresh fruit for your journey. I feel awful, not being a good host at all. Please, I insist."

Weary of nibblers since the run-in with the rebels, Luxa declined.

"We are all set for our journey, but thank you for your offer. You do not need to do anything for us, we are just fine as we are. I apologize if I am acting rude by not accepting, but we must be on our way. My city is at war, and we have need of other support. Good bye, King Cavalieri."

They mounted up on the fliers, heading towards the Fount, where they would head next. Not knowing the next time he'd be able to sleep, Gregor asked Ergane if he could sleep on the flight.

"Whenever you wish, you may sleep," the striped bat told him. "There is no need for you to stay awake. Of course, you are always welcome to do that, too. But, yes, you may sleep."

Thankful, Gregor shut his eyes to the world. He found himself more tired than he expected, and fell into a fortunatly dreamless sleep.


	18. Chapter 18

When Gregor awakened, they were just landing outside the jungle to make a camp. As he'd just awakened, Gregor volunteered for first watch. Luxa also took first watch, earning a disapproving look and a reminder to stay on watch instead of talking from Howard, who Gregor was sure would spent the time until second watch, which he had taken, eavesdropping instead of sleeping. But Gregor didn't care. He hoped that Howard had at least listened to his outburst earlier, and hopefully took it to heart.

"I don't think I've ever been to the Fount, unless the nibbler colony or our trip to the outskirts count," Gregor said, trying to start a conversation that did not revolve around Howard and how annoying he was.

"It is not much like Regalia. The buildings are shorter, and there is no arena or palace. It is surrounded by river on three sides, and a cliff on the other," Luxa explained. Clearly she wanted to get through the Fount discussion and on to topics that probably were relating to Howard. Gregor let her.

"You will see soon enough, as we will be there within a few hours for the fliers to sleep." There was a bit of silence for a moment, before Luxa spoke again.

"I have a bad feeling about going to the Fount," she said darkly. "I...I can't explain it. It is like...I don't know. I am dreading going there, but I cannot really explain why. But we do have need to travel there." She sighed, beginning to massage her temples.

"We'll be fine," Gregor told her assuringly. He hoped so. Reminding himself to stay on watch as Howard had told them, Gregor clicked for echolocation. After seeing nothing for the next few minutes, he focused his ears on Luxa, putting the farther away void out of focus so they were like a blurry smear in his head. It was the equivalent of looking out of the corner of your eye; you could detect motion if it was there, but not know what it was until you focused on it.

He was happy just sitting there with her, looking at her. For the next hour it was like he was on stand-by; conscious, there, but not exactly paying attention. Like he was at school for pretty much the past four years. He just sat there, eyes closed, ears open for what seemed like both forever and almost no time at all.

He was brought back to reality by Howard and Hazard relieving them from watch. Gregor could have stayed there for quite some time longer, but he decided to at least lie down and close his eyes, though he wasn't going to sleep. There was no need, since they would be moving to the Fount in an hour or two.

* * *

The flight to the Fount began quickly, everyone was eager to sleep somewhere without needing a watch. Gregor talked with Ergane for most of the flight. He realized that he didn't know much about the bat, other than he was a royal bat, and Nike's brother. 

"Do you have any other siblings besides Nike?" he asked.

"Yes, I have in total three sisters and two brothers. Anemotis and Pallas are my brothers, and Hippia, Nike, and Soteira are my sisters. I am the second oldest. I am a year younger than Anemotis. Nike is after me by eight months, followed by Pallas and Hippia by a year and a half, and Soteira was born only four months ago, which is two and a half years after them." Gregor vaguely remembered Ergane mentioning that he had other sibling during their first meeting. He quickly calculated the bat's age in his head to discover that Ergane was around four years old.

"So Anemotis will take the throne when your parents die?" Gregor asked.

"Yes, unless he is unfit for leadership, which he is not, does not want to rule, which he does, or he is dead. In which case, I would reign, unless I am any of the three. May I ask you a question?"

"Of course. Shoot."

"Shoot?" the bat asked, puzzled.

"I mean, go ahead." Gregor had forgotten that the bat would not understand the Overland slang.

"Yes, of course," Ergane said sheepishly. "How do you determine positions of power in your government? Ripred knows, but he will not tell me."

That was just like Ripred. "There are lots of different types of government types, but in America we elect a president. Every four years, we elect another one. That's supposed to stop any evil dictators from taking over. We pretty much vote on everything."

"Are there any government systems like here in the Underland? Any kings and queens?"

"There are a few monarchies, but most of the kings and queens are used for ceremonial purposes." That's what Gregor's Social Studies teacher had said when they studied Great Brittan last year.

Ergane nodded thoughtfully. "That is a system I might consider adopting, should I ever rule. I do not much agree with the family bloodlines, which is ironic, as I fall into a royal family. I think that there are other fliers that may have better ideas than Anemotis or myself. It would also, as you say, stop any evil dictators from taking over. Oh, look, we are nearing the Fount. We should arrive within fifteen minutes."

Gregor felt he was actually looking forward to visiting the other human colony. He had only ever seen Regalia, and wondered what the Fount was like, even though Luxa had described it to him briefly. One river below them of the three that bordered the Fount became visible beneath them.

Briefly distracted by the running water, nobody noticed the fliers that were bearing down on them from the top of the cavern until Howard had been knocked off Nike, and was sent plummeting unconscious toward the earth.


	19. Chapter 19

**PART III**

**THE CRUSHING**

* * *

It took Gregor a few seconds to figure out what was going on. And a few seconds were crucial in an attack situation. A second bat dove towards the pair, buffeting Ergane lower and lower over the river.

_They're going to drown us! _Gregor thought.

"Can you loop around to get on top, Ergane?" Gregor shouted, bracing himself against the bat.

Ergane said nothing, only executed a near-perfect loop. Gregor nearly fell off, but inertia kept him on the flier.

_Inertia is the tendency to resist a change in direction,_ he thought automatically. His science teacher had really drilled that one into his head, for him to recite it in a crisis, life-or-death situation.

Realising that Gregor and Ergane now had the upper hand, the other flier slowed up, falling behind them. There was no doubt in Gregor's mind that the enemy pair were going to attack from behind.

"Flee, Hazard!" Gregor heard Luxa shout. That made sense, as Hazard had no weapon and no fighiting knowledge. The stinging on his scalp from a flier claw ripping a chunk of his hair out brought him back to his fight.

Gregor's rager mode was taking over, flashes of the vunerable brown underbelly of the attacking flier appeared before his eyes. But by the time he could get his sword up, it was too late.

"I will get closer!" Ergane called out to Gregor, who was losing himself to his rager side. The black and white bat got in close to the other flier.

The human on the other bat noticed their close proximity just as Gregor did. Memories overwhelming him, Gregor watched in horror as the other rider sheared off one of Ergane's ears.

"Get out of there, Ares! Get out!" Gregor cried out without thinking. In memory, he stabbed out with his sword as though he were fighting the Bane again. The rider was skewered to their mount, which plummetted down as Gregor withdrew his blade.

The scars on Gregor's chest burned, as though it had been torn open again by the Bane. He shut his eyes, but it didn't matter. The only thing he was seeing, eyes opened or closed, was the Bane in a red and white heap, near Ares in a pool of blood, which oozed from his neck, the Bane's sword wound, and Gregor's chest.

"Gregor? Are you okay, Gregor?" the voice cut through his memory. Who was that? Howard? Ares? No, it was Ergane. Ergane! Gregor's eyes flew open, reminding him of where he was. As he glanced at his intact chest, the burining stopped as he was sucked out from memory.

"I'm...fine." he panted. "Oh, man, your ear..."

Blood was spouting from where his flier's ear once was.

"I am okay, but it affects my hearing. I cannot echolocate. Will you be my ears?"

Gregor nodded before realizing that Ergane wouldn't be able to sense that. "I'll try."

Clicking, he took in his surroundings. Nike still had the unconscious Howard on her back. But she was doing a good job of keeping him on, fending off the other flier-human pair, and occasionally counterattacking them. Luxa and Aurora were making good work of fighting the other rider, who turned out to be Stellovet. Stellovet the traitor and her bond.

He quickly relayed his findings to Ergane.

"We can give assistance--" Ergane started to say, but blacked out for a second, causing them to drop around thirty feet.

"Ergane!" Gregor shouted, fearful for the both of them.

"I apologize. My wound weakens me. I need to land for a few moments to catch my breath." The flier touched down, and Gregor quickly clambored off.

"What is happening now?" Ergane panted, trying in vain to shake the blood from his ear hole.

Gregor listened.

"Luxa has just cut a long slice in Stellovet's bond's stomach; it looks like they're falling. Yes. Aurora and Luxa are going down after them. The other rider is coming over here, he's being dropped off by his bond around fifty feet away." He paused. "And Nike is setting Howard on the ground near where Luxa is now getting off Aurora. Oh, here comes that other fighter."

"Go, Warrior. I will be fine. You can take him," Ergane said encouragingly.

Gregor drew his blade, as his rager side began to come out in full effect. Ergane seemed to have passed out behind him, as Gregor dashed foreward to meet the brave rebel.


	20. Chapter 20

Gregor took one glance at the rebel, and was immediatly upset. He was just a boy, no more than twelve! The two squared off, sizing up the other. While he appeared brave and confident on the outside, Gregor could see the fear in his enemy's eyes. He was as Gregor had been before the war, young and innocent, tough even, but only on the outside. But worried and fragile. Of course, that was a special circumstance, asthere had been a prophecy fortelling his death hanging his head. So the boy was maybe a bit less solumn, though it could not be an appealing thought, fighting the warrior. But still,Gregor did not want to hurt him; he was still just a boy.

* * *

Stellovet's bond was on the ground, its chest still. 

"No!" she cried out in rage and despair.

"I will fight her on the ground, you need to get Howard and Ergane to the hospital," Luxa whispered to Aurora.

"But-" her bond began to protest.

"Go! I'll be fine."

Aurora reluctantly let Luxa put the unconscious human on her back, then picked up the bleeding flier in her claws.

"I will take them to the hospital here, at the fount, then I will be right back."

Looking back at her bond on the ground, the golden bat began to fly her wounded friends out of the combat zone.

* * *

The boy attacked first, viciously, when Gregor realized that this was the other rager in the prophecy. Glancing briefly at the enemy's blade, he noticed that it was not like the other swords down here. For one, the blade was a pearlescent black. The hilt was curved like two s's intersecting... 

_Oh my god,_ Gregor thought, eyes widening as he made his discovery. _Not only is he a rager, he's got the Sword of Shadow._

The rager rained a storm of blows on Gregor, who snapped back into focus and parried them all. Then Gregor attacked, with the same result. The fighting kept going like this, until Gregor broke the sword the rager was using, the Sword of Shadow, into a jagged broken edge.

* * *

"Cousin." Stellovet acknowledged Luxa's presence through gritted teeth. 

"Stellovet, how badly do you desire the throne?" Luxa half-sighed. "Badly enough to kill your own brother?"

"And my cousin, too!" she growled, lunging for her, sword and dagger drawn, but Luxa easily deflected her blades.

Stellovet was overcome with fury, fighting viscously. Luxa tagged her cousin's shoulder, but that caused Stellovet to get her left hip. With a loud clash of metal on metal, Luxa and Stellovet's blades locked, as they became very close. With a grunt of pain, Stellovet received Luxa's knee in the gut, knocking the wind out of her and knocking her down.

Luxa stood above her cousin, ready to drain her light. Stellovet was seconds away from dying, and she knew it, too. She wasn't finished yet, though.

* * *

Nike engaged the only remaining flier, a reddish male, in combat. 

_He attacked Howard, _she thought bitterly. _And the other one, they hurt my brother._

She buffeted him with her wings, lashing out with whatever was handy. Claws, teeth, wings, Nike showed no mercy.

_They hurt my bond and my brother! _Rage was taking over. _They have to pay!_

The flier had no idea how to defend from another flier's attack, it wasn't trained. The fliers had never fought like this before.

With a growl and a grunt, Nike got her snout to her enemy's neck. She clamped her jaws down, ripping out with a shower of warm blood. The male flier gave a garbaled cry, as it's throat passage began to fill with blood. Nike's white stripes were getting stained, as the Underland experienced just about the closest thing to a rain storm it would ever get. The flier plummeted to the ground, dead.

* * *

Staggering backwards, the boy's rager ability abandoned him. Gregor moved in for the kill, preparing the execution. But when he saw the fear in the boy's eyes, he hesitated. He had difficulty killing other people, but a boy? Gregor couldn't. 

"Don't kill me," the rager pleaded softly.

Backing away a few paces, Gregor lowered his sword slightly, appalled at what he had almost done. The boy in front of him slowly closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Was he really going to kill this kid? Had this boy been dragged in to this like Gregor had been dragged into the war? Out of nowhere, the rager lunged at him, eyes narrowed, stabbing out with the broken sword.

* * *

Grasping her sword on top of her, much like the stone knight in the cloisters, Stellovet waited until her cousin had her arms slightly higher to deliver the final blow before she could act. The timing had to be exact. With one precise movement, Stellovet rolled into Luxa's left leg, blade somewhat extended, slicing her cousin's Achilles tendon. 

Crying out in pain, Luxa toppled to the ground, blood spewing from her ankle. This would be it. She could not hold off Stellovet from the ground for more then a minute. But maybe, a minute would be all she needed. Might as well die without giving up. Luxa pulled up her sword in defense, and managed to shear off Stellovet's forefinger and thumb, deeming her sword arm useless.

This only enraged Stellovet farther. But she must have known that she had to end this fast.

* * *

Gregor barely had time to react. He deflected the rager's broken sword so it clipped his side instead of planting itself in his gut. With one upward stroke of his sword, he decapitated the unfortunate rebel.

* * *

Two things happened at once. Signifying her arrival with a flash of golden wings, Aurora grabbed Stellovet by the shoulders, carrying the traitor backwards, away from her bond. At the same time, Stellovet hurled her dagger at her cousin. Luxa brought her right arm up to block the short blade. The dagger went right between the two bones in her forearm, all the way through so it stuck out the other side, pinning it to her body, where it had also penetrated near the bottom two ribs on her right side. 

Still in Aurora's claws, Stellovet struggled to get free. She ended up sinking her teeth into the unsuspecting bat's right claw. Surprised, Aurora loosened her grip, and Stellovet managed to slip free. Unfortunately for her, by that time, they were over one hundred feet in the air.

Stellovet met the same fate as another traitor cousin before her.

* * *

Gasping, he staggered backward, glancing at the wound in his side. The blood pouring out of it was mixing with something from the sword, forming a black tar-like substance. Falling backward on to the stone, his eyes rolled up into his head as he passed out. That was when the nightmare began.

* * *

Luxa was losing a lot of blood. She knew she'd be dead within minutes. A warm, wet pool was forming on her stomach. As she watched her cousin fall and her bond turn around to come get her, the world dissolved into nothingness. She felt herself running out of time… 


	21. Chapter 21

_The rats were chasing him, the Bane in the lead. A cliff appeared out of nowhere in front of him, and he almost fell over it. Trying to gage the depth of the chasm, Gregor began using echolocation. None of his clicks returned. Out of the gorge, a massive rat, at least five times as big as the Bane, with a pelt of the opposite color rose._

_"Welcome, Overlander," it said, in a sarcastically kind voice. "I am he called Shadeslash, and you are my prisoner."_

_The rats roared with laughter._

_"Every rat you have ever killed, any rat whose death you hold yourself responsible for is here with you. Have a nice reunion." The black rat was __so__ sarcastic as he said this, he made Ripred seem serious at times when he wasn't fighting._

_Running through the mob of angry rats, a thought struck him as a familiar face of Shed flashed by. He hadn't killed Shed, nor had he killed __Fangor__, but he had caused his death by escaping Regalia on his first visit. Maybe, just maybe, he'd have an ally here._

_Yes! Gregor found her, though he was __certain__ she had smelled him coming first._

_"Hey!" he called out to the tailless rat. __"Twitchtip!"_

_The only rat Gregor had ever thought might call him himself a friend turned around._

_"Hop on my back, rager," she said affectionately._

_"It's so good to see you again," he told her. After thinking a moment, he added, "I'm sorry. We should have gone back for you."_

_Wha__…oh, that. You do not need to apologize, Overlander, it was not your fault," the rat told him, though he still felt responsible._

_As they ran through the rats__ looking__ for the exit, Gregor saw another familiar face._

_"Mange!"__The gnawer who accompanied him through the jungle, along with a few others, to find the cure to the plague.__ He was devoured by a carnivorous plant while searching for food._

_"Mange!"__ Gregor called again. The rat did not turn._

_"You'll get out of this, warrior, I am certain of it," Twitchtip said to him encouragingly._

_Suddenly, the big black rat __appeared in front of them, eyes burning._

_"No you won't! Nobody escapes me!"_

_With a sweep of his long tail, Shadeslash slammed the rat and human into the wall._

_"I am the Guardian! You cannot leave me!" the rat bellowed. Suddenly, a voice cut through the darkness. It sounded like Ripred._

_"What's your plan, warrior? You can beat this, even if it is against the odds, just like you beat the Bane!"_

_Gregor nodded. '_What's my plan?'_ He thought. _'I need to escape. How?'_ He looked around. _A door!' _There was a door on the massive black rat, right above his back right flank. _'I need to get to that door!'

'If all the rats here are dead by my doing, why not other species?'

_A plan formulated in his head. It was very unlikely to work, but it was worth a try, anyway._

_"Goodbye, Twitchtip. And thank you. __For everything."_

_"Goodbye, Rager. Say hello to everyone for me!"_

_Gregor smiled. __"Will do."_

_Gregor aimed himself to run and jump for the door. He took a deep breath._

_Three…_Here I come, Ripred.

_Two…_Here I come, Lizzie.

_One…_Here I come, Luxa.

_Now!__ He sprinted toward the rat, leaping at the door, which was at least thirty feet above the ground. It would be an impossible leap to make. __Alone._

_"ARES!" he called out. While nothing visible appeared, Gregor was still caught and flown to the door. In his mind, he saw his bond beneath him. The bat's rare 'Huh huh huh' laugh rang in his ears. A voice still clear in his memory spoke out to him._

_"We can fly together any time you wish it, Overlander." Gregor began to sob as his bond spoke to him._

_"Just close your eyes, I'll be there. Go now, Gregor. It's all right." The purr stabbed him in the heart, as more tears found their way down his cheeks. He walked through the door and into the light…_

* * *

"So you have finally decided to awaken." Gregor heard Howard's voice say gently to him. 

He groggily opened his eyes. Surrounding him were Howard, who had a bandage around his head, Ripred with Lizzie on his back, Boots, and his parents. Wait–his parents?

"What are you doing here?" he asked them. His voice was hoarse from being unused.

"We came to take you and Lizzie home," his dad told him. "We got here only a couple of days ago, actually."

A couple of days? "How long have I been out?"

"Around a week," Howard said to him, before asking everyone out of the room. "There is something I would like to ask you about, if you don't mind. May I?

"No, go ahead."

"What was it like for you, the nightmares?"

Gregor took a deep breath before beginning. "There was this big black rat, Shadeslash, who was five times bigger than the Bane, at least. I was his prisoner in a cavern with all the rats who were dead because of me. This, I'm sure, was to make me feel guilty and go insane. But, Shadeslash did not take something into account. Twitchtip. She helped me find the door, which was on the black rat, actually, though it was thirty feet up at least. I jumped for it anyway. Ares caught me." At this point, his eyes began filling with tears. "He spoke to me as I left."

Howard said nothing for a few minutes. Eventually, he sighed, saying, "Twitchtip was a great gnawer. I wish I'd realize that before she died." Gregor thought of the whirlpool, and how Howard had wanted to leave Twitchtip for dead. He'd felt so bad about it afterwords, and treated her better past that. Howard got up to leave the room.

"Hey, Howard," Gregor started to ask before he left.

"Yes?"

"How is everyone else?"

Howard sighed. "Everyone is, as you say, hanging in there. Luxa has still not awakened. But everyone still has light."

There was one good thing, at least.


	22. Chapter 22

Over the course of the next few days, Gregor slept a lot while he was restricted to his bed by the doctors, who didn't want him to tear open the newest wound on his side. Not one single time did he have a nightmare. He always dreamed that he was flying with Ares, but neither of them ever died. The Bane made no appearances, and there were rarely any rats. When there were, it was usually Ripred or Twitchtip.

Howard informed him that with the arrival of the rats, they were doing a good job of crushing the rebellion. Gregor could tell that this fight was going better that the war had, as the number of wounded was significantly less, and that included the ally rats that he sometimes saw dragged past.

When he was finally allowed out of bed, he saw that the battlefield was just about empty. There was no fighting, just wounded being cared for and dead being dragged away. The traitors were being rounded up and held in the prison until a trial could be held. They were waiting for Luxa to be present. It was five days after Gregor woke up, and she was still unconscious. He was naturally worried, but the doctors and Howard assured him that she was mending.

He was, too. His wound had already healed over for the most part. The scar from where he had been cut by the Sword of Shadow was still a black color, and would most likely remain that way for as long as the scars on his chest from where he'd been clawed by the Bane were visible. Which would be for the rest of his life. It wasn't too big, actually, about the size of his middle finger.

It wasn't like he would be taking his shirt off ever, anyway, not in the Overland. He didn't want to go back there ever. He fit in here, at least somewhat. Gregor pleaded with his parents to stay here, in the Underland, but they didn't let him.

"Not until you finish school and move out, " his mom had told him. She refused to let him drop out, too, saying that he should at least get a full education. And when he complained that he'd gotten enough education all ready, she just dropped the subject. He'd gotten his dad to let him stay until Luxa was better, though.

His family was leaving to go back to Virginia, since it would be suspicious if the whole family dropped out of sight for a long time. Gregor didn't really mind that he wouldn't see them for weeks, or months even. His parents decided that they would say Gregor was doing a foreign exchange program "Down Under". Everybody would assume this was Australia, though it really referred to the Underland. That had been Lizzie's suggestion.

"Bye, Gregor," Lizzie said, hugging him. He received lots of hugs from his family before they were flown up to the grate. Ripred even said goodbye to Lizzie before the bat took off. He turned to Gregor.

"Fencing, Warrior," he said.

"What?"

The rat looked at him like he was stupid. "You heard me. Fencing. It's how you're going to be training your rager abilities when you get back to the Overland. Understand?"

Of course! Fencing! That would be perfect!

"That's a good idea, but why are you telling me this now?"

Ripred rolled his eyes. "Obviously because I just thought of it now," he said exasperatedly, as though it was obvious.

"How am I supposed to know that?"

"Because you know _everything_." The word 'everything' was layered so thick with sarcasm that Ripred nearly choked on his tongue, causing Gregor to laugh. This earned him a glare, but Ripred said nothing more. The rat slunk away.

"Gregor?" He turned to see Howard behind him.

"What's up, Howard?"

"I...I thought about what you said. In the jungle, about me not knowing what I was talking about--"

Gregor cut him off. "Forget it. It's stupid."

"It is not. I thought about it, and you are absolutly right."

This surprised Gregor."I am?"

Howard nodded. "Will you take my apology? For being such a nuisance?"

"Forget about it. You were only looking out for your cousin."

Howard smiled, nodding his head once, before saying, "There is something I want to show you in the Prophecy Room."

Gregor followed him. "What is it?"

"It is a room full of prophecies, but that is of no importance," Howard joked half-heartedly. "Really though, it is the prophecy many of us believe to come next."

In the room, Howard lead him over to the corner where Luxa had been sitting weeks ago, before they left to ask their allies for help. He pointed to the prophecy on the floor, entitled "The Prophecy of Flesh".

Looking over the words, Gregor's stomach felt sick. It was somewhat vague and confusing, but it seemed close to the Prophecy of Blood. Only this one didn't call for a plague.

"Why are you showing me this?"

Howard sighed. He seemed sad looking over this prophecy. He had a good reason to be, though."I just thought you might like to know what's coming. See these lines here?" He pointed to a stanza. "A fair number of us feel certain this applies to Luxa."

Gregor's heart dropped into his feet. What did those lines even mean? While he was unsure, Gregor could tell it was something ominous.

A small boy of around eight appeared at the door, out of breath. "Howard? You are-- needed in-- in the-- hospital," the boy said, panting.

Howard looked puzzled. "My shift is not for hours, though. What is the matter for them to summon me?"

The boy was catching his breath a bit. "I don't know. It is urgent, they told me."

Urgent was something not taken lightly in the Underland. Howard bolted out the door, the boy following more slowly behind. Having nothing else to do, but having a growing fear that it had to do with Luxa, Gregor made his way down to the hospital quickly, though not sprinting like Howard.


	23. Chapter 23

The hospital was a flurry of activity, mainly due to the war, but Gregor could tell that something else was going on. People were rushing around in a frenzy. Doctors were shouting out orders as they dashed around the halls. Gregor couldn't tell where Howard had gone, and looking for him in this mob would be pointless. Something big was happening, he could tell by all the commotion. A pit formed in the bottom of his stomach. He had a sinking feeling that this was about-

"Queen Luxa has awakened!" a voice shouted above the chaos. Gregor literally felt his heart lift in his chest. He took in a huge, involuntary, gasping breath, causing a slight pain in his side from his wound. He couldn't react to that, though, he was so excited. Gregor made his way toward her room, avoiding the general herd of people, with a few fliers and gnawers mixed in. Quietly, he slipped through the curtain.

A doctor and Hazard stood over by her bed. The doctor was asking a few questions and scribbling on a sort of clipboard, but she stopped answering them when she spotted him.

"Gregor!" she called out excitedly. Her voice was somewhat hoarse and scratchy from not being used much in two weeks.

The doctor turned around and shot Gregor a look, but did not object to his presence. Casually, Gregor moved up to her bedside.

"Hey," he said, smiling. The doctor shot the two of them another look before leaving the room. Deciding that it would be a good idea to leave, too, Hazard followed.

"How are you?" Gregor asked. She had a cast on her right arm, and he could see a bulge in her blanket around her left ankle.

"Awful," she told him. She looked pretty worn out. "Everywhere hurts."

"I bet. I know the feeling," Gregor said with a small smile, thinking of how he felt when he'd woken up after the Bane tore open his chest.

Luxa tried to prop herself up some, but winced, inhaling sharply, and dropped back down, putting her left hand to her lower ribs on the other side, where Stellovet's dagger pinned itself after going through her forearm.

"Ow," Gregor sympathized. This was the worst injured he'd ever seen her, and it made him fell helpless, to sit there and watch while she suffered. He wanted to help, but he couldn't.

Luxa just nodded, gritting her teeth. "The painkiller seems as though it does not much help," she said.

_New subject, new subject, new subject... _

"Howard showed me the Prophecy of Flesh..."

"That is a rather cryptic prophecy. Everyone is in disagreement about it. I, personally, feel it is best to focus on the matters at hand as opposed to worry about the future."

Luxa was absolutely right. There was no need to worry about it until it came into view. Gregor nodded to show he agreed, though it reminded him of the rule he'd had a lifetime ago, when his dad went missing. No thinking about the future. He'd removed that the instant his dad returned, but sometimes he didn't let himself think about certain things.

"What do you think it means?" Gregor asked, anyway.

"As I said before, I would rather not think or speak of it until it comes into play. However, it reminds me slightly of the Prophecy of Blood." It was clear by the ferocious and snappish tone in her voice that Luxa wanted to drop the whole conversation. Gregor dug for another subject.

He didn't need one, though, because just then, Howard entered the room. He shot Gregor an apologetic look, as if to say,"I know what I said earlier, and I'm sorry", before moving up closer to them. It took Gregor a few moments to realize something was not right, even though Howard did not say anything at first. Maybe that was, in fact, the main indicator that something was wrong. He just stood there somewhat awkwardly, his half-hearted smile that his cousin was finally conscious was tinged with sadness. Plus, he was not making any conversation, which was somewhat unusual for Howard. Luxa must have sensed that something wasn't right, too.

"What is the matter, Howard?" she asked with a puzzled look.

Howard closed his eyes, bowed his head, and sighed. His smile completely faded. A thick tear escaped from underneath one eyelid, alerting Gregor that something was really not okay.

"It is Vikus," he began, voice wavering slightly. "He has had another stroke. He is dead."

* * *


	24. Chapter 24

Woah. Vikus was dead? It just didn't seem possible to Gregor. Vikus was dead. He tried to let the words sink in to his brain, but he was unable to process them. It just didn't seem possible. Vikus was dead...

Vikus was the first person to show any form of kindness to Gregor when he first arrived here in the Underland. He'd explained lots of things here, the palace, the Prophecy of Gray, even the rats when the time was right. Mentioning his name had stopped the spinners from eating him on that first quest, and the old man always seemed to have a clear mind for thinking. He'd brought Ripred to them as a guide, even. Vikus was looking out for him, all the way through the Prophecy of Time, and even helped explain the Prophecy of Shadow to Gregor.

Luxa's face mirrored Gregor's initial shock. Glancing over at her, he realized that if Vikus's death was bad for him, it would be monumentally terrible for her. Not only would she lose her grandfather, but also the closest thing she had to a father, a mentor, and a friend. He wouldn't get to see her coronation ceremony, which was to be held whenever she regained enough mobility to move around for extended periods of time.

A tear rolled down her cheek. Gregor felt his eyes welling up, too. He wished he was better at comforting people like that. What do you say to something like that? He will fly with you always? No, that really just worked for the bats. Fortunately, Howard came up with something.

"He lives on," he said, voice a bit steadier than when he'd announced the diplomat's death, even though there were twin streams running down his cheeks, "through you and I."

Gregor tried to think of what that could mean. They were his grandkids, but he had a feeling that the meaning was meant to be much deeper than that. It turned out that it was.

"He lives on through his teachings and his diplomatic ways," Howard continued in a somewhat choked voice, "and through all of the different terms of peace he helped to forge."  
_  
That's not very comforting,_ Gregor thought. It was a bit stiff and formal, like most things in the Underland, but it was way better than anything he could come up with.

Nobody said anything for the next few hours; they all just sat there in silence, and then Gregor finally announced that he was taking a walk. He stood up slowly, and with one backwards glance, got up to stroll around the palace. He didn't really know where he was going, so he just kind of wandered around a bit. He ended heading toward the Arena, planning on practicing turning his rager mode on and off. He found Ergane there, practicing echolocating without his ear with another flier. Gregor felt immediately guilty. He hadn't even thought about seeing the bat since the fight at the Fount. The bat noticed him, and fluttered to the ground somewhat off-course.

"Greetings," the bat purred. He seemed in a good mood. "How fare you?"

"I'm doing okay," Gregor told him after thinking for a bit, "how about you?"

"I am working on echolocation. Everything sounds different without this ear." He pointed with his head to his right wing, which really meant the ear hole on that side. "It is rather confusing, but I am getting used to it."

Gregor felt really bad about the bat's ear. He tried to hold himself responsible for the flier's loss.

"I'm sorry about that," he said, staring at his feet.

"About what? It was not your fault. I flew in too close, even though you told me to get out. It is fine, though. I will manage without it." Gregor was glad that Ergane didn't blame him at all, but he still felt a little bit guilty.

"Vikus died," Gregor told the flier. Ergane's face took on a serious and mournful, yet still soft and empathetic, edge.

"Yes, I had heard," he said, his deep purr the sound of a bittersweet lamentation. "This will be a great loss for Regalia and the whole Underland."

Gregor just nodded, a lump forming in his throat. Why could he never talk about someone after they died? He still had trouble talking about Ares, and he had died four years ago. Thankfully, Ergane seemed to realize this, and dismissed Gregor from the conversation.

"I must get back to my training," he said. Gregor nodded, and left the Arena.

He couldn't think of anywhere to go. He would just be in the way of everybody. Nobody would want him around right now, and there was no need for him to be. Where could he go to be alone? Alone...

Gregor began to make his way toward Ares's cave. It was a long way to walk, he knew, but there was nothing better for him to do, nowhere better for him to go. His bond had lived here in solitude after being shunned by humans and bats alike, when he allowed Henry to fall to his death, and instead saved Gregor. He hadn't been officially banished, but he was good as it. The bat's sad life rolled through Gregor's head while he walked there, and he was in tears upon arrival. This whole day had been a little bit crazy.

Gregor sat down in the same spot he did during what he had thought were his last few hours in the Underland; when he went on a sort-of picnic with Luxa and Aurora. He closed his eyes, remembering everything that had happened to him here: falling, and being picked up by the crawlers, who had brought him to the Arena; trying to escape, but running into Fangor and Shed; finding his dad in the rat pits; Henry's betrayal; Bonding with Ares before going home again; the Prophecy of Bane, and traveling on the Waterway; the whirlpool; the mites that ate Pandora; the Tankard and labyrinth; finding the evil ball of white fuzz that would eventually kill his bond.

Then there was the trip through the jungle for the cure to the plague: he dart frogs, the carnivorous plants, and the fight with the cutters in the Vineyard of Eyes, Hamnet and Frills' deaths. Then the trip through Hades Hall that ended in the Firelands, watching the Bane gassing the nibblers to death. And finally, the most monumental, the war.

Then there was reading the Prophecy of Time about his death; escaping Solovet and going to the Firelands; the dungeon; fighting the Bane for the first time; breaking the Code of Claw, and learning of Twitchtip's death; the siege on the palace before leaving for the battle on the Plain of Tartarus; the final battle with the Bane; Ares dead, while blood had spewed from Gregor's open chest; leaving, the prospect of not returning for four years.

And now Vikus's death. Before drifting to sleep, Gregor decided that Virginia was the worst part of the past six years of his life.

* * *

A/N: A very big thank you to Please Recycle/rojo for his help and for proofreading and editing these last few chapters. 


	25. Chapter 25

Almost nobody noticed that Gregor was missing for nearly two straight days, everyone was so wrapped up in Vikus's death. He slept for a long time before waking up once. He just kind of stared into space thinking during his conscious moments. He cried a lot out here, too, where it didn't matter who saw. Cried for Vikus. Cried for Ares. 

Where it didn't matter at all, Gregor got caught up on all the crying he'd neglected to do down here, and even cried again for the ones he had shed tears for already. He cried for Twitchtip, for Thalia, for Cartesian, for Hamnet and Frill, and for Pandora. He cried for Mange, and for Goldshard, the Bane's mother, even. He cried for Tick and Gox and Treflex. He even cried for Henry a little bit.

Eventually, hunger and thirst forced him back to the palace. After riding the platform to the High Hall and stepping off, Gregor made his way toward the dining hall. As he was about to go and ask for some food, a still-sardonic voice stopped him in his tracks.

"And you thought nobody would notice if you disappeared for two days then show up begging for food."

Gregor didn't need to turn around or use his echolocation to know who was standing right behind him. He sighed.

"I knew you would bother me about it, Ripred, and I'm not in the mood for it. So could you just, you know, lay off a bit?"

He felt the rat's glare burning holes in the back of his head with complete distaste. Gregor prepared himself for the sarcastic remark that was about to beat down on his head. But the rat seemed to actually be considering the request. Through gritted teeth, Ripred must have had to say the next sentence with great personal sacrifice.

"Fine," the gnawer spat, "just this once. But don't get used to it."

Gregor nodded before strutting off to get some food. He wasn't really in the mood to deal with anything right now. If he didn't need to eat, he'd probably still be in Ares's cave.

He didn't need to say one word, he was handed a plate of stuffed mushrooms and shrimp and cream sauce when he entered the dining hall. He accepted and immediately dug in without trying to figure out whose hand it came from. He didn't even bother to look up until he was spoken to.

"You may have thought nobody noticed you were gone." The voice was neither accusing, demanding, or curious; it was just a simple statement.

Gregor brought his head out of the plate of food and found himself staring into Mareth's eyes. He hadn't really spoken to the head of the army at all the whole time he was down here.

"I was...in Ares's cave," Gregor explained between bites of food. He had gone days without eating before, but he was ravenous anyway.

Mareth nodded. "Few noticed your disappearance. We have all been dwelling on Vikus's death. I did not even notice myself until Howard pointed it out to me. He claims that he did not even notice until Queen Luxa pointed it out to him."

Mareth kept talking, but Gregor's mind moved elsewhere. Luxa! He'd just about forgotten about what she was thinking. Did she think he'd gone back to the Overland? That he'd just left? He should probably go see her...

"What was that last bit?" Gregor blurted out.

Mareth shot him a quizzical look. "I stopped talking about a minute ago, Gregor."

"Oh..." Gregor's mouth hung open stupidly for a few seconds before he noticed and shut it.

"Do you mind if I..uh...go?" he asked somewhat shiftily.

The ex-soldier nodded. "Go ahead."

Gregor smiled gratefully, mouthing a soft "thanks" as he got up to leave. He walked quickly, and made good time to her room in the hospital. She was asleep, and the doctor, who was the same one as a few days ago, wouldn't let Gregor in.

"Well, could you tell her I was here?" Gregor asked, hoping that his voice didn't show the slight desperation he felt in his mind.

The doctor either despised Gregor, hated being a messenger, was too busy to care, or just wanted to be hated by everyone. Gregor was about to argue, but fortunately Howard appeared.

"I will tell her, Gregor," he said, coming up from behind Gregor, a bottle of painkiller in his hands. The doctor walked off, irritated by the waste of time Gregor had caused for her.

"You are here still," Howard started, trailing off for Gregor to fill him in.

"I stayed a bit in Ares's cave. I needed to be alone," he said simply.

Howard nodded, still looking curious, but not pressing for details. It's not like there was much for Gregor to tell, anyway.

"I must go. I am still on duty," Howard suddenly announced, hurrying off.

Gregor nodded, though to no one in particular. He was generally not spoken to while he was here, but people noticed when he was gone. It was pretty ironic, actually. He had no idea where to go, no idea what to do, so he ended up walking into the prophecy room. It was a significant place to him, where he had hid out during the siege on the palace, where the history of Gregor was carved into the walls, floors, and ceilings.He was surprised to not find Nerissa there. Gregor walked in, deciding to look at a few prophecies again. He actually smiled at the line that foretold his death.

His eyes found the prophecy Howard had showed him however many days ago. He read the first line aloud.

"Instant death is you upon..."

Never good. Why did all these prophecies have to be about death, doom, and despair? All but one, that Gregor knew of. He shook his head sadly before leaving to go wander elsewhere.


	26. Chapter 26

**Sorry it took so long. It's been like two weeks, I know, and I apologize. Writers' block has been cruel. But this chapter is here now. I hope to have the next chapter done within two days, and then there will be the sequel! I am so stoked to write it more. **

**And a BIG thanks to US and Mel for their big help with the last bit. **

* * *

Over the course of the next few weeks, Luxa had steadily regained the ability to move around and make use of her left leg. Her official coronation ceremony was planned to be within a few days, though she technically already had full power as queen. She seemed anxious, of course, for the event. 

"Cousins," she sighed, sitting down tiredly on the edge of her bed. Gregor stood across from her, and a single crutch leaned on the bed next to her.

"It seems as though for every Nerissa, there is a Stellovet," she said, staring at nothing, seemingly in thought.

"But for every Henry, there's a Howard," Gregor pointed out. The two were quiet for a few moments; Luxa staring at the wall, Gregor just staring at her.

Breaking the somewhat awkward silence, Luxa finally asked, "Once more to make it an even dozen?"

"If you're up for it." Gregor offered out a hand to pull her up. She accepted it with her right hand, rising to her feet and grabbing the crutch with her left hand. Slowly at first, she began to limp around the room, leaning heavily on the crutch. She gradually picked up speed, though not going much faster than before. Every time she stepped with her left leg, she clenched her jaw, wincing in obvious pain. Gregor hated to see her hurting like that.

Around halfway across the room, Luxa fell to the floor, gripping her ankle in pain. Worriedly, Gregor hurried over to her.

"Are you okay?" he asked, a dark note of concern in his voice. He knelt beside her, feeling bad about the obvious pain she was in and not being able to do anything about it. She took a deep breath.

"I will be fine," she snapped. Luxa's voice was sharp and bitter, full of pain, sounding much harsher than she probably would have meant it too. Gregor could tell she didn't intend for it to be so unkind sounding, though the words still stung. He just sat there with her for the next few minutes until she finally stood herself up with the help of her crutch, not saying a word.

The rest of that day was spent with no more words exchanged between the two, as Gregor had gratefully stalked off when Howard had came announcing that Luxa's coronation would be held the next day, if she was well enough for it.

* * *

The day of her coronation, in the whole ten minutes he'd gotten to spend with her, Luxa had made a big point of apologizing to Gregor, though he just dismissed it, saying it was fine. He didn't want her to be worried about anything stupid, today especially, as he could tell she was somewhat stressed out as it was. Besides, it really was fine with him. 

The coronation ceremony was similar to how Gregor remembered it when they had returned home from the Labyrinth and Nerissa was being crowned. Gregor had not seen Luxa since that morning, and was very anxious to see her again, even though it had been only a few hours, no more than five. He'd only seen her for about fifteen minutes, which she spent apologizing to Gregor for the day before. He'd let it go, saying it was fine. It was.

Gregor was seated next to Hazard and Howard, with Nike and Atlas on their other sides. Ergane was somewhere across the room with another several fliers, one of whom Gregor recognized as Queen Athena. The others looked somewhat like Ergane and Nike; different patterns of black and white stripes. He took them to be the flier royal family.

Near the doorway, Gregor easily spotted Ripred, who had positioned himself strategically to be the first out to the feast. The rat was irritated scratching at his neck with his right hind paw, in a similar manner to dogs in the Overland. Fastened around his throat was a white bow tie and collar. Gregor started cracking up, and pointed this out to Howard and Hazard, who began laughing in turn. Ripred seemed to notice this, shooting Gregor a menacing look that said "You will not speak of this ever again if you appreciate having your stomach on the inside of your body".

Everyone was dressed up nicely, not just the rat. Gregor himself donned a fancy looking set of clothing that the Underlanders had laid out for him. It consisted of a charcoal colored vest with triangular sticking out structured shoulders, which he wore over a long-sleeved white shirt, both of which clung tightly to his arms and body. You could even see the scars on Gregor's chest slightly protruding. The pants were average-looking black Underland pants, like the ones he wore regularly. Howard and Hazard were wearing similar garments, as were the majority of the males in the room.

Gregor turned one more time to gawk at Ripred, when a stout old man entered the room. He was completely unfamiliar to Gregor, who assumed this was Vikus's successor. He had a scruffy white beard, and wore a long cloak, which dragged on the ground somewhat behind him. He attempted to make his way discretely down the aisle, to position himself by the throne for the crowning. The crowd hushed a bit, temporarily distracted by the man, who had cleared his throat to speak. His voice was thick and throaty.

"Excuse me, all. The ceremony will begin shortly."

There was a brief moment of silence before the music kicked in and Luxa entered the throne room, leaning heavily on her crutch. Gregor's eyes widened at the sight of her. He broke into a grin. Wow.

Breath-taking was more then a word for what she looked like. If Gregor had a dictionary right now, all the words that could describe what he thought of Luxa right now wouldn't be enough. Top to bottom, she was absolutely stunning. Gregor probably did not even blink throughout the whole ceremony, starting from when she slowly hobbled down to the throne. He didn't even here the words the old man chanted as he placed a large golden crown on top of her head.

Gregor could tell based on the expression on Luxa's face that she had wanted this day so badly for a good chunk of her life, and that she had thought she would never see it on so many occasions. He could name a few times where he'd had his doubts, too.

The ceremony went by rather quickly for Gregor, yet slowly at the same time. It was as though time had briefly paused for Gregor to stare at Luxa, though would be starting up again at whatever time it wanted, even in a hundred years from then. He was not aware that it had ended until Hazard tapped him on the shoulder, signaling for him to rise to his feet and applaud. He looked at the queen once more, burning the image into his brain, just as he had inadvertently done before with the nibblers in the pit, or Ares dead on the ground, or even, another new image, Ripred in that bow tie. He needed something more to hold on to.


	27. Chapter 27

**The last chapter! It's finally up! I'd like to take a brief paragraph to thank all those who read and reviewed. I may have possibly stopped a few times without all the reviews. So, thanks everyone! The sequel to this, Gregor and the Plight of Flesh, will be posted really soon, after a one-shot I will finish writing for in between the two books. I didn't think I'd ever finish a book this long. Special thanks to everyone who helped beta and come up with ways to defeat my writer's block.**

**And, without further adieu, I present Chapter 27!**

**--- Ares is Awesome**

* * *

Gregor was going to leave a few days after Luxa's coronation, but decided to stay for Vikus's funeral, which was held the week after. He'd never been to a formal Underland funeral, the people who he had seen dead were mainly from the war, and the others were often in a place where it would have been impossible to bring them back to Regalia. In fact, the only funeral he'd ever been to was for his grandfather when he was six. 

The funeral was held off by the waterway, where there was a rather large patch of soil reserved for royalty and people in positions of power. Gregor observed that there were quite a few headstones or markers, plus a few monumental-type things for not retrievable bodies.There was a pit dug by a light colored marble headstone, with two torches in brackets hanging off the side. Vikus's name was carved in ornate writing at the top. His marker was next to a similar one for Solovet.

Two Underlanders on each side of the pit wearing black hooded cloaks held tall torches over a stone plate, which Vikus's body lay on peacefully. A fifth Underlander chanted something soft and sweet, yet mournful sounding, in another human language that Gregor didn't recognize. Unsure of what to do, he followed what Howard, Hazard, and Luxa were doing, and bowed his head.

Eventually, the diplomat's body was lowered into the ground. The torches in brackets were snuffed out, and Euripides, as Vikus's bond, fluttered to the headstone to speak.

Euripides appeared upset, but accepting. When the gray bat began to make his speech, Gregor realized that he had never actually heard his voice before. It was clear and ringing, calm and accepting, much like Vikus's own personality.

"Events will take their course. It is no good of being angry at them, as he is happiest who wisely turns them to the best account. Though all of us wish Vikus was still here with us, he is not, and we must accept this. We all will in time. No one can confidently say that they will still be living tomorrow, so we must make the best of what time we all have today.

"My bond would not want us to spend too much time missing him. There are tasks that need accomplishing. We may put them off until a later date. Just remember that human misery must somewhere have a stop, as there is no wind that always blows a storm. From the death of a great man comes a lesson for the others. No one is happy all his life long. Life can be not just one emotion, as we would tire of that quickly. Amongst victory there is strife, amongst happiness, sadness. If you would learn one thing today, learn that to die is a debt we must all pay."

The bat was a remarkable philosopher and a great speaker. His words were beautifully crafted, full of meaning. Gregor spent the entire duration of the ceremony thinking about what Euripides had said.

* * *

After the funeral, Gregor was informed that he would be brought up to their old laundry room in two hours, and he was advised to say goodbye to his friends soon. He gave a quick goodbye to Hazard, before turning to Howard. 

"Hang in there, man," Gregor told him. Howard looked confused at first, but then realized that Gregor was referring to the Prophecy of Flesh.

"I will try my best." Howard looked weary from just the thought of the prophecy. Gregor hugged him in a friendly manner.

Gregor turned to Luxa.

"Perhaps we should say goodbye in private," she suggested, eying Howard.

"Good plan."

Luxa put her arm around Gregor to use him as support as the pair headed for the prophecy room, as it was one of the few places with a door. She eased the door closed and wrapped her arms around Gregor's neck who wrapped his around her waist in turn. They held each other's gaze for a few minutes, Gregor losing himself in her intoxicating violet eyes.

"Come over here," Luxa finally whispered to him. "Look at this."

She led him over to one corner, where one prophecy was carved into the wall. It seemed familiar to Gregor, as though he'd looked at it somehow before.

"This is the prophecy that foretold my parents' death," she whispered sadly. Gregor couldn't bring himself to read any more than just the title, remembering his first night in Regalia, how sad Luxa had been when they were in there. He tried to change the subject.

"What's that one over there?" He gestured toward The Prophecy of Lies, across the wall. Luxa barely even glanced at it.

"That one was fulfilled long ago. It was one of the first, actually." She was no longer looking at that prophecy, however; she was now staring at the Prophecy of Flesh, down on the floor by their feet. Gregor looked over there with her.

"You will return?" she asked hopefully, after a long pause.

The words of the prophecy burned themselves into Gregor's brain. He wrapped his arm around Luxa, giving her a squeeze.

_Instant death is you upon..._

"As soon as I can, I'll be back," he assured her. "I promise you, I'll be back."


End file.
